Several developing countries feature weak performances as exporters of differentiated goods to developed countries. This paper builds a conceptual framework to explain the obstacles that prevent producers of differentiated products from establishing a consistent presence in the developed world...

We develop a model of international trade with export quality requirements and two dimensions of firm heterogeneity. In addition to "productivity", firms are also heterogeneous in their "caliber" - the ability to produce quality using fewer fixed inputs. Compared to single attribute models of...

This paper surveys four Argentinean industries — light ships, television programs, wines, and wooden furniture — that have experienced substantial export growth in recent years, particularly to developed countries. The case studies first describe the structure of the industries, then...

Several developing countries feature weak performances as exporters of differentiated goods to developed countries. This paper builds a conceptual framework to explain the obstacles that prevent producers of differentiated products from establishing a consistent presence in the developed world...

As global competition increasingly focuses on product quality, firms need to ensure the quality of their inputs. A central question is then which organizational structure best enables them to achieve this objective. Numerous papers have found that firms that produce higher quality are more...

The Linder hypothesis states that countries of similar income per capita should trade more intensely with one another. This hypothesis has attracted substantial research over decades, but the empirical evidence has failed to provide consistent support for it. This paper shows that the reason for...