Using data on the presence of the Goethe Institutes (GI) in 134 importer countries between 1978 and 2014, we study the effect that language learning opportunities abroad have on German exports. We employ a gravity model of trade with a single exporter and use the Poisson-Pseudo Maximum...

We review and interpret the main theoretical developments in the gravity literature from its very early, a-theoretical applications to the latest structural contributions. We also discuss challenges and implement methods to estimate empirical gravity equations. We finish with a presentation and...

This paper examines data on trade flows between West German Bundeslander (federal states) and East Germany to explore the effect of national borders on trade. Although the data covers only a small fraction of intra-German trade flows, I find a home bias of about factor 2.2; West German shipments...

The paper applies the gravity model of international trade in its analysis of German exports. The added value of our research is derived from the innovative shift in focus from the traditional gravity model specifications to the national level in order to interpret its estimations in a...

This note uses the newly available Exporter and Importer Dynamics Database for Germany to investigate the links between trade dynamics and trade costs. It shows results for the dynamics of Germany’s goods trade as a whole, and for trade with two of the most important partner countries, namely...

This paper examines the causal relationship between productivity and exporting in German manufacturing. We find a causal link from high productivity to presence in foreign markets, as postulated by a recent literature on international trade with heterogeneous firms. We apply a matching technique...