Using Chinese customs data for estimating a discrete choice model between potential export destinations, we present evidence for sequential export investment decisions of exporters driven by search and learning processes in foreign markets. Using a fixed effects conditional logit model, we...

This paper uses a static and dynamic gravity model of trade to investigate the link between German development aid and exports from Germany to the recipient country. The findings indicate that German aid is associated with an increase in exports of goods that is larger than the aid flow, with a...

We derive a simple equation for the welfare gains from trade when tariffs are liberalized or iceberg trade costs fall. Covering various one-sector trade models that may or may not feature extensive margins and imperfect competition, we generalize the analysis of Arkolakis, Costinot and...

Quantifying the welfare effects of trade liberalization is a core issue in international trade. Existing frameworks assume perfect labor markets and therefore ignore the effects of aggregate employment changes for welfare. We develop a quantitative trade framework which explicitly models labor...

In a recent meta study, Disdier and Head (2008) summarize 103 empirical studies that find that the (absolute value of the) distance coefficient in a gravity estimation of bilateral exports does not fall over time. Including zero-trade flows is suggested as a solution to this "distance-puzzle"...

We develop a structural framework that accounts for and decomposes the relationships between trade, physical capital accumulation, and FDI. As a byproduct, our theory delivers a FDI-gravity system. The FDI-gravity estimates are similar to the corresponding trade indexes, however, we also...

Goods trade and international mobility of labor are typically analyzed separately. While there is excellent research in both fields, far less is known about the interrelationships between international migration and international trade. This paper provides a first structurally estimable model of...

In this paper we develop a model to analyze the effects of (country-pair-specific) costs of creating, transferring and accessing intangible assets for multi-unit firms. These costs might vary with the cultural distance between countries, such as the difference in language, work ethics or other...

Since innovative firms are often financially constrained, access to external funds is important for the expansion of innovative industries. This paper reports four important results. First, comparative advantage is shaped by factor endowments as well as fundamental determinants of corporate...

The paper empirically analyzes whether electoral rules make legislators differently responsive to changes in fiscal incentives. Key to the analysis are two unique reforms in the German state of Lower Saxony which changed (i) the municipal charter by replacing the council-manager system...