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Trade and growth with heterogeneous firms

Author

Listed:
  • Baldwin, Robert
  • Robert-Nicoud, Frédéric
Abstract
This paper explores the impact of trade on growth when firms are heterogeneous. We find that greater openness produces anti-and pro-growth effects. The Melitz-model selection effects raises the expected cost of introducing a new variety and this tends to slow the rate of new-variety introduction and hence growth. The pro-growth effect stems from the impact that freer trade has on the marginal cost of innovating. The balance of the two effects is ambiguous with the sign depending upon the exact nature of the innovation technology and its connection to international trade in goods and ideas. We consider five special cases (these include the Grossman-Helpman, the Coe- Helpman and Rivera-Batiz-Romer models) two of which suggest that trade harms growth; the others predicting the opposite.

Suggested Citation

  • Baldwin, Robert & Robert-Nicoud, Frédéric, 2006. "Trade and growth with heterogeneous firms," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 19856, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
  • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:19856
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/19856/
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    trade and endogenous growth; heterogeneous firms; dynamic versus static efficiency;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • P16 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Capitalist Institutions; Welfare State
    • H32 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Firm

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