We develop a new model of multi-product firms which invest to improve the perceived quality of both their individual products and their brand. Because of flexible manufacturing, products closer to firms' core competence have lower costs, so firms produce more of them, and also have higher...

This paper examines the effect of Walmart's entry into Mexico on Mexican manufacturers of consumer goods. Guided by firm interviews that suggested substantial heterogeneity across firms in how they responded to Walmart's entry, we develop a dynamic industry model in which firms decide whether to...

While there is considerable empirical evidence on the impact of liberalizing trade in goods, the effects of services liberalization have not been empirically established. This study examines the link between services sector reforms and the productivity of manufacturing industries relying on...

During the past two decades many countries have opened their retail sector to foreign direct investment (FDI), yet little is known about the implications of such liberalization for their economies. Using a unique dataset combining outlet-specific information on global retail chains with a panel...

This paper analyzes the causal relationship between foreign ownership and various aspects of plant performance using micro data from the Indonesian Census of Manufacturing. It examines the implications of foreign ownership in two different contexts: foreign acquisitions and foreign...

An emerging literature has demonstrated some unique characteristics of trade in differentiated products. This paper contributes to the literature by postulating that differentiated products may be subject to greater tariff evasion due to the difficulties associated with assessing their quality...