In this paper we show that price equalization does not imply zero barriers to trade. There are many barrier combinations that deliver price equalization, but each combination implies a different volume of trade. We demonstrate this first theoretically in a simple two-country model and then...

In this paper we derive a new measure of openness—trade potential index—that quantifies potential gains from trade as a simple function of data. Using a standard multicountry trade model, we measure openness by a country's potential welfare gain from moving to a world with frictionless...

In Part 1 ("Divergent Markets") of this series, we argue that the recent divergence in housing supplies likely signals a decline in inventories of lower- and middle-tier homes nationwide. Part 2 ("Rental Demand") discusses the role that rental-market developments have played in exacerbating this...

In Part 1 ("Divergent Markets") of this three-part series, we document that the recent divergence in inventories of new and existing homes seems to reflect a scarcity of lower- and middle-tier homes. We now examine one potential factor contributing to this shortage: rental demand

We develop a dynamic model where each generation in a family can continue operating its inherited production technology or it could hire a professional to do the same. Though the professional is more qualified, his interests are not aligned with the interests of the family. In the context of an...

This paper models a family business as a household operating a production technology in which the household's human capital is a specific business skill. Each generation in the household can either bequeath the business and the business skill to the next generation, or sell the business through...