[go: up one dir, main page]
IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/reviec/v29y2021i2p402-408.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Unemployment effects of trade with a low‐wage country: A minimum‐wage model with sector‐specific factors

Author

Listed:
  • Richard A. Brecher
  • Zhihao Yu
Abstract
Contrary to conventional wisdom, this paper shows that a high‐wage economy can paradoxically reduce its level of aggregate unemployment by engaging in international trade with a low‐wage country. We demonstrate this possibility after introducing a minimum wage into the basic specific‐factor model (with immobile capital and mobile labor), even though the opposite result is known to arise in the longer‐run framework of the standard Heckscher–Ohlin–Samuelson model (with both inputs mobile). Our result provides a cautionary note for public‐policy discussions that promote trade barriers as a way to reduce unemployment.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard A. Brecher & Zhihao Yu, 2021. "Unemployment effects of trade with a low‐wage country: A minimum‐wage model with sector‐specific factors," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 402-408, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:reviec:v:29:y:2021:i:2:p:402-408
    DOI: 10.1111/roie.12530
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/roie.12530
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/roie.12530?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daron Acemoglu & David Autor & David Dorn & Gordon H. Hanson & Brendan Price, 2016. "Import Competition and the Great US Employment Sag of the 2000s," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 34(S1), pages 141-198.
    2. Lloyd A. Metzler, 1949. "Tariffs, International Demand, and Domestic Prices," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 57(4), pages 345-345.
    3. Lloyd A. Metzler, 1949. "Tariffs, the Terms of Trade, and the Distribution of National Income," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 57(1), pages 1-1.
    4. Davis, Donald R, 1998. "Does European Unemployment Prop Up American Wages? National Labor Markets and Global Trade," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(3), pages 478-494, June.
    5. Richard A. Brecher, 1974. "Minimum Wage Rates and the Pure Theory of International Trade," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 88(1), pages 98-116.
    6. Ruffin, Roy & Jones, Ronald, 1977. "Protection and real wages: The neoclassical ambiguity," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 337-348, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Schweinberger, Albert G., 2001. "Capital, heterogeneous labour, global goods markets and unemployment," Discussion Papers, Series I 309, University of Konstanz, Department of Economics.
    2. repec:dgr:rugsom:00c21 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Kala Krishna & Abhiroop Mukhopadhyay & Cemile Yavas, 2005. "Trade with Labor Market Distortions and Heterogeneous Labor: Why Trade Can Hurt," Contributions to Economics, in: Günter S. Heiduk & Kar-yiu Wong (ed.), WTO and World Trade, pages 65-83, Springer.
    4. Sinn, Hans-Werner, 2006. "Das deutsche Rätsel," Munich Reprints in Economics 950, University of Munich, Department of Economics.
    5. Olarreaga, Marcelo & Robert-Nicoud, Frédéric & Fugazza, Marco & Carrère, Céline, 2014. "Trade in Unemployment," CEPR Discussion Papers 9916, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    6. repec:gnv:wpaper:unige:77631 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Hans‐Werner Sinn, 2006. "Das deutsche Rätsel: Warum wir Exportweltmeister und Schlusslicht zugleich sind," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 7(1), pages 1-18, February.
    8. David Hummels & Jakob R. Munch & Chong Xiang, 2018. "Offshoring and Labor Markets," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 56(3), pages 981-1028, September.
    9. Bai, Xue & Chatterjee, Arpita & Krishna, Kala & Ma, Hong, 2021. "Trade and minimum wages in general equilibrium: Theory and evidence," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    10. Thede, Susanna, 2012. "A Simple Model of Trade, Job Task Offshoring and Social Insurance," Working Papers 2012:16, Lund University, Department of Economics.
    11. Céline Carrère & Anja Grujovic & Frédéric Robert-Nicoud, 2020. "Trade and Frictional Unemployment in the Global Economy," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 18(6), pages 2869-2921.
    12. Tobias Seidel, 2005. "Who is Reaping the Gains from Globalisation? – The Role of Labour Market Flexibility," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 3(01), pages 54-59, April.
    13. Lars Calmfors & Giancarlo Corsetti & Michael P. Devereux & Gilles Saint-Paul & Hans-Werner Sinn & Jan-Egbert Sturm & Xavier Vives, 2008. "Chapter 3: The effect of globalisation on Western European jobs: curse or blessing?," EEAG Report on the European Economy, CESifo, vol. 0, pages 71-104, February.
    14. Fischer, Justina A.V., 2012. "The choice of domestic policies in a globalized economy: Extended Version," MPRA Paper 37816, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Richard A. Brecher & Zhihao Yu, 2021. "Trade-Induced Reduction In Unemployment Of A High-Wage Economy: A Minimum-Wage Model With Country-Specific Technology," Carleton Economic Papers 21-04, Carleton University, Department of Economics.
    16. Joël Hellier, 2013. "The North-South HOS Model, Inequality and Globalization," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Joël Hellier & Nathalie Chusseau (ed.), Growing Income Inequalities, chapter 4, pages 107-146, Palgrave Macmillan.
    17. Heid, Benedikt & Larch, Mario, 2016. "Gravity with unemployment," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 70-85.
    18. Hartmut Egger & Daniel Etzel, 2012. "Union Wage Setting and International Trade," IAAEU Discussion Papers 201209, Institute of Labour Law and Industrial Relations in the European Union (IAAEU).
    19. Dinopoulos, Elias & Unel, Bulent, 2015. "Entrepreneurs, jobs, and trade," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 93-112.
    20. Felbermayr, Gabriel & Prat, Julien & Schmerer, Hans-Jörg, 2011. "Trade and unemployment: What do the data say?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(6), pages 741-758, August.
    21. Tang, Heiwai, 2012. "Labor market institutions, firm-specific skills, and trade patterns," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 337-351.
    22. Davis, Donald R., 1998. "Technology, unemployment, and relative wages in a global economy," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(9), pages 1613-1633, November.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:reviec:v:29:y:2021:i:2:p:402-408. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0965-7576 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.