Roadways, Input Sourcing, and Patterns of Specialisation

Esteban Jaimovich

No 118, School of Economics Discussion Papers from School of Economics, University of Surrey

Abstract: We propose a model where the internal transport network facilitates the sourcing of intermediate goods from di¤erent locations. E¢ cient internal transportation promotes thus the growth of industries that rely on a large variety of inputs. The model shows that heterogeneities in internal transport infrastructures can become a key factor in shaping comparative advantage and specialisation. Moreover, when su¢ ciently pronounced, such heterogeneities may even overshadow more traditional sources of specialisation based on factor productivities. Evidence based on industry-level trade data grants support to the main prediction of the model: countries with denser road networks export relatively more in industries that exhibit wider input bases. We show that this correlation is robust to several possible confounding e¤ects proposed by the literature, such as the impact of institutions on specialisation in complex goods. Furthermore, we show that a similar correlation also arises when the density of the local transport network is measured by the density of their internal waterways, rather than by roadway density.

JEL-codes: F11 O18 R12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 41 pages
Date: 2018-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-tre and nep-ure
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https://repec.som.surrey.ac.uk/2018/DP01-18.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Roadways, input sourcing, and patterns of specialization (2019)
Working Paper: Roadways, Input Sourcing, and Patterns of Specialization (2019)
Working Paper: Roadways, Input Sourcing, and Patterns of Specialization (2018)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sur:surrec:0118

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