Betting on exports: Trade and endogenous heterogeneity

Alessandra Bonfiglioli (), Rosario Crino () and Gino Gancia

Economics Working Papers from Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Abstract: We study the equilibrium determinants of firm-level heterogeneity in a model in which firms can affect the variance of their productivity draws at the entry stage and we explore the implications in closed and open economy. By allowing firms to choose the size of their investment in innovation projects of unknown quality, the model yields a Pareto distribution for productivity with a shape parameter that depends on industry-level characteristics. A novel result is that export opportunities, by increasing the payoffs in the tail, induce firms to invest in bigger projects with more spread-out outcomes. Moreover, when more productive firms also pay higher wages, trade amplifies wage dispersion by making all firms more unequal. These results are consistent with new evidence on how firm-level heterogeneity and wage dispersion vary in a panel of U.S. industries. Finally, we use patent data across U.S. states and over time to provide evidence in support of a specific mechanism of the model, namely, that export opportunities increase firm heterogeneity by fostering innovation.

Keywords: Firm Heterogeneity; Productivity Dispersion; Wage Inequality; International Trade. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E24 F12 F16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014-12, Revised 2016-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-bec, nep-int and nep-mac
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Betting on Exports: Trade and Endogenous Heterogeneity (2018)
Working Paper: Betting on Exports: Trade and Endogenous Heterogeneity (2016)
Working Paper: Betting on Exports: Trade and Endogenous Heterogeneity (2015)
Working Paper: Betting on Exports: Trade and Endogenous Heterogeneity (2015)
Working Paper: Betting on Exports: Trade and Endogenous Heterogeneity (2015)
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