Multi-Product Firms and Trade Liberalization∗

No 769 December 2006 Multi - Product Firms and Trade Liberalization

This paper develops a general equilibrium model of multi-product firms and analyzes their behavior during trade liberalization. Firm productivity in a given product is modeled as a combination of firm-level “ability” and firmproduct-level “expertise”, both of which are stochastic and unknown prior to the firm’s payment of a sunk cost of entry. Higher firm-level ability raises a firm’s productiv...

Technical Appendix: Multi-Product Firms and Trade Liberalization (Not For Publication)

CHAPTER 1 Heterogeneous Firms and Trade ∗

This chapter reviews the new approach to international trade based on firm heterogeneity in differentiated product markets. This approach explains a variety of features exhibited in disaggregated trade data, including the higher productivity of exporters relative to non-exporters, within-industry reallocations of resources following trade liberalization, and patterns of trade participation acro...

Country asymmetries, endogenous product choice and the timing of trade liberalization

We analyze the e!ects of trade liberalization on "rms' decisions and pro"ts in a vertical product di!erentiation model with countries which have di!erent characteristics. Firms decide product speci"cations at the beginning of the game, in which autarky is followed by trade liberalization (whose date is anticipated). Our analysis suggests that a "rm located in a large (or rich) country is the li...

Trade Liberalization and Productivity Growth: Firm-level Evidence from Cameroon

Does trade liberalization foster total factor productivity (TFP) growth in the manufacturing sector? Does sectoral trade orientation determine sectoral TFP levels and growth rates? These questions are addressed using pooled pre-and post-liberalization panel data from Cameroonian firms of eight manufacturing industries. A single production function for the whole manufacturing sector is estimated...