The debate on trade and growth increasingly focuses on the composition of exports. Exports of more “sophisticated” products appear to be positively correlated with growth, and upgrading the quality of exports is high on the policy agenda of many countries. This study presents evidence...

Many countries spend significant resources on investment promotion agencies (IPAs) in the hope of attracting inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI). Despite the importance of this question for public policy choices, little is known about the effectiveness of investment promotion efforts....

Foreign direct investment flows to developing countries are hindered by many factors. Two of these factors – the mere lack of information and red tape – could be easily remedied through investment promotion efforts.

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the configuration of international supply chains has received increased public attention. Pandemic-related disruptions in production and transportation have led to questions about the reliability of international production networks. Moreover, the war...

Auch nach dem Abklingen der Corona-Pandemie hat die große Mehrheit der deutschen Unternehmen zusätzliche Maßnahmen getroffen, um das Risiko von Lieferkettenstörungen zu reduzieren. Im Rahmen der ifo Konjunkturumfragen im November 2023 gaben 75% der Industrieunternehmen an, die...

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, global supply chains of firms came under increased public scrutiny. Pandemic-related production and transportation disruptions had put supply chains under severe pressure worldwide and were often associated with considerable economic costs. However, as the...

While the impact of globalization on income inequality has received a lot of attention, little is known about its effect on the gender wage gap (GWG). This study argues that there is a systematic difference in the GWG between exporting firms and non-exporters. By the virtue of being exposed to...

This study finds that even small unexpected supply shocks propagate downstream through production networks and are amplified by firms with short-term financial constraints. The unexpected 2011 increase in the tax on imports purchased with foreign-sourced trade credit is examined using data...

The literature has documented a positive effect of foreign ownership on firm performance. But is this effect due to a one-time knowledge transfer or does it rely on continuous injections of knowledge? To shed light on this question we focus on divestments, that is, foreign affiliates that are...

Estimates of the trade elasticity based on actual trade policy changes are scarce, and the few that exist are all over the place. This paper offers a setting where an exogenous increase in a border tax can be used to estimate the trade elasticity. It shows theoretically and empirically that if...