Back to the future: Taking stock on intra-industry trade

Back to the Future: Taking Stock on Intra-Industry Trade. — This paper begins by examining the unresolved issues identified in an earlier analysis of the literature. It then sets out developments in theory, measurement, empirical analysis and policy. The progress made on each of these fronts is assessed and remaining unresolved issues identified. The paper argues that the last decade has seen very considerable progress in the measurement of intra-industry trade and in the way the empirical investigations are conducted. It also argues that on the modelling front considerable progress has been made in incorporating spatial and growth dimensions into the paradigm.     

Entrepreneurship and intra-industry trade

Entrepreneurship and Intra-Industry Trade. — The paper introduces entrepreneurs into the theories of intra-industry trade and investigates the role of a country ’s “entrepreneurship” in international trade. It is shown that therelative entrepreneurship between countries determines the terms of trade but the welfare effects are not obvious. Among other things, it is found that (1) an increase in exports improves the terms of trade and (2) an increase in country size is not always beneficial.     

Adjustment,employment characteristics and intra-industry trade

Adjustment, Employment Characteristics and Intra-Industry Trade. — In this paper we use data on individual workers to investigate a number of dimensions of adjustment and relate these to trade. Specifically, we estimate the relative incidence of changes in workers’ employment status with regard to sector, firm, occupation and region. We relate the incidence of adjustment to a range of labour market characteristics and indicators of trade exposure. Our findings are not consistent with the notion that there is a systematic relationship between the type of trade expansion (inter- or intra-industry) and the type of employment adjustment (within or between industry adjustment) or that there is less labour market adjustment associated with intra- than inter-industry trade.     

Labour-market effects of intra-industry trade: Evidence for the United Kingdom

Labor-Market Effects of Intra-Industry Trade: Evidence for the United Kingdom. — According to the “smooth adjustment hypothesis”, the labor-market adjustment costs entailed by trade liberalization are lower if trade expansion is intra-industry rather than inter-industry in nature. In this paper, we study the link between trade and labor market changes in UK manufacturing industries during the 1980s. We use industry-level measures of unemployment duration and wage variability as proxies for adjustment costs, and we relate them to various measures of intra-industry trade. Our evidence offers some support for the smooth adjustment hypothesis.     

Adjustment and the measurement of marginal intra-industry trade

Conclusions In this paper, we have set out to do two things: first to investigate the properties of the index of MIIT recently proposed by Hamilton and Kniest; second to evaluate how useful the index is as an input to relating IIT and adjustment. In investigating the former, we found that there were a number of problematic properties of the H-K index. Most notably it censors the data in a non-random way by excluding important information; it inflates the measured MIIT by using nominal rather than real data; and it is unsealed. These properties not only bias the measure upward, they make it inappropriate from the standpoint of evaluating adjustment problems. Our discussion concludes with several suggestions as to how we might identify and measure MIIT more effectively from the standpoint of evaluating the adjustment implications of trade expansion.     

Does the measurement of intra-industry trade matter?

Does the Measurement of Intra-Industry Trade Matter? — This paper discusses different methods of capturing the main aspects of the Chamberlin-Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson model. Of particular interest are the distinction between horizontal and vertical intra-industry trade, the adjustment of aggregation biases, and the definition of inter- and intra-industry specialization at product level. The main findings are that it is important to disentangle horizontal and vertical intra-industry trade, and to consider specialization patterns within refined product groups. Moreover, there is a nonlinear relationship between intra-industry trade and economies of scale that may explain contradictory results in the literature.     

Vertical specialization and intra-industry trade: The role of factor endowments

Vertical Specialization and Intra-Industry Trade: The Role of Factor Endowments. — In this paper, we use vertical differentiation models of the Falvey-Kierzkowski type to study the effects of differences in factor endowments on vertical intraindustry specialization. We focus on Spanish intra-industry trade, as Spain typically exports low-quality varieties to the northern countries of the OECD and high-quality varieties to the southern ones. In order to achieve more general results, we consider different types of productive factors: physical, human and technological capital. Our results confirm that factor endowments play a significant role in explaining vertical intra-industry specialization.     

Horizontal and vertical intra-industry trade between Eastern Europe and the European union

Horizontal and Vertical Intra-Industry Trade Between Eastern Europe and the European Union. — The share of intra-industry trade (IIT) in total trade between central and east European nations and the EU is broken down into various components. Vertical IIT is found to account for 80 to 90 percent of total IIT. Controlling for country-specific effects, it is positively associated with product differentiation, labor intensity of production, economies of scale, and foreign direct investment (FDI). Horizontal IIT is also positively correlated with FDI and product differentiation; however, a significant negative relationship is found for scale and labor intensity.     

Tests of the empirical classification of horizontal and vertical intra-industry trade

Tests of the Empirical Classification of Horizontal and Vertical IntraIndustry Trade. — Using longitudinal data this paper shows the separation of international trade in (a) inter-industry trade, (b) horizontal intra-industry trade, and (c) vertical intra-industry trade used in the empirical trade literature to be non-stable at the individual product level. The high level of vertical intra-industry trade mentioned in the empirical literature probably covers up many products shifting between e.g. vertical and horizontal intra-industry trade. The paper therefore questions the work of the last decade in the measurement of intra-industry trade.     

Intra-industry trade in the European computers industry

Intra-Industry Trade in the European Computers Industry. —This paper analyzes the pattern of intra-industry trade in the European computers industry. Hypotheses regarding both country-specific and industry-specific factors are tested. Those include proxies for level of economic development, market size, market proximity, scale economies and market concentration. The problem of categorical aggregation is explicitly addressed and a method to overcome is suggested. The results of the econometric analysis corroborate the predictions of the theoretical models and their ability to identify at least some of the crucial factors driving to international specialization.     

East-west intra-industry trade dynamics

Conclusions Trade liberalization, integration and catching-up with the developed countries are often associated with an increase in intra-industry trade. We showed in the literature survey that the reduction of trade barriers is associated with the growth of intra-industry trade. We currently observe that the trade of the selected EU countries (Austria, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands) with the CEECs (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia) follows this pattern as well. However, the increase of intra-industry trade is not uniform, but reflects different patterns of integration and progress of industrial restructuring.     

Country-specific factors and the pattern of horizontal and vertical intra-industry trade in the UK

Country-Specific Factors and the Pattern of Horizontal and Vertical Intra-Industry Trade in the UK. - A large number of empirical studies have investigated the relationship between country-specific factors and total intra-industry trade (IIT). One important shortcoming of this literature is that it ignores the distinction between horizontal and vertical IIT and ignores the fact that they may have different determinants. This paper disaggregates UK IIT into its horizontal and vertical components and, using bilateral trade data, estimates a series of models incorporating countryspecific variables. The results suggest that vertical IIT is more important in the UK than horizontal IIT and that the inter-country pattern of vertical IIT is systematically related to a range of explanatory variables.     

Does North-South horizontal intra-industry trade really exist? An analysis of the toy industry

Does North-South Horizontal Intra-Industry Trade Really Exist? An Analysis of the Toy Industry. — In a combination of a case study approach and econometric analysis, bilateral intra-industry trade between high income countries and low income countries in the toy industry is investigated. In a number of products there is important bilateral intra-industry trade between both groups of countries. Econometric analysis in which a number of the explanatory variables used were quantified on the basis of the information supplied by the industry-spokesmen yields results which strongly support the view that the bilateral IIT between the high income countries and the low income countries in the toy industry is determined significantly by horizontal product differentiation and economies of scale.     

Static and dynamic measurement of intra-industry trade and adjustment: A geometric reappraisal

Static and Dynamic Measurement of Intra-Industry Trade and Adjustment: A Geometric Reappraisal. — The principal analytical device used is an industry “trade box” that allows the authors to geometrically examine changes in intra-industry trade (ITT), total trade (TT), net trade (NT) and the Grubel and Lloyd (GL) index as a result of movements in trade points. The authors propose an approach to measure changes in both the absolute and relative valuesof ITTand NT with respect to changes inTT. Their methodology highlights a number of weaknesses with the existing literature on marginalIIT and provides a methodology that can be applied to investigate adjustment implications of changing patterns and levels of intra-industry trade.     

North American trade liberalization and intra-industry trade

Zusammenfassung Handelsliberalisierung in Nordamerika und der intra-industrielle Handel. - Der Verfasser untersucht die Handelsbeziehungen zwischen Mexiko und den Vereinigten Staaten in den 80er Jahren und vergleicht sie mit den Handelsbeziehungen zwischen Kanada und den USA im gleichen Zeitraum. Er stellt fest, da? der intra-industrielle Handel in den Beziehungen zwischen Mexiko und den USA an Bedeutung gewonnen hat, was vermutlich auf die zunehmende Handelsliberalisierung Mexikos zurückzuführen ist. In der Tat waren in den sp?ten 80er Jahren die relativen Niveaus des intra-industriellen Handels ?hnlich hoch, wenn man die bilateralen Handelsstr?me zwischen Mexiko und den USA mit denen zwischen Kanada und den USA vergleicht.

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Résumé La libération des échanges nord-américains et les échanges intra-industriels.- Dans cette étude l'auteur examine les tendances du commerce bilatéral entre le Mexique et les Etats Unis pendant les années quatre-vingts. Il les compare aux tendances du commerce bilatéral entre le Canada et les Etats Unis pendant la même période. Il trouve que les échanges intra-industriels sont particulièrement augmenté en ce qui concerne le commerce entre le Mexique et les Etats Unis. Cela montre que la libéralisation commerciale prend place principalement de la part du Mexique. En effet dans les années quatre-vingts, les niveaux relatives des échanges intra-industriels ont été assez similaires si l’on compare les échanges bilatéraux entre le Mexique et les Etats Unis d’une part et le Canada et les Etats Unis d'autre part.

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Resumen La liberalizatión del comercio en América del Norte y el comercio intrasectorial. - En este trabajo se examina el perfil del comercio bilateral entre México y los EE UU en los a?os ochenta y se lo compara con el perfil del comercio bilateral entre el Canadá y los EE UU en el mismo período. Se encuentra que la importancia del comercio intrasectorial aumentó en el comercio entre México y los EE UU durante el periodo estudiado, reflejando ante todo avances en la liberalizatión del comercio por parte de México. En efecto, hacia fines de los a?os ochenta, los niveles relativos de comercio intrasectorial eran bastante similares en ambos casos, México-EE UU y Canadá-EE UU.

     

International intra-industry trade of China

International Intra-Industry Trade of China. — The purpose of this paper is to measure the extent of the international intra-industry trade of China, and to test empirically various country-specific and industry-specific hypotheses concerning the determinants of vertical and horizonal intra-industry trade between China and her major trading partners. It is revealed that China has possessed the prerequisite of intra-industry trade and that China’s intra-industry trade follows similar patterns of those in developed countries as China is moving towards a market-oriented economy. F14, O53     

International transfer of knowledge: The role of international trade and geographic proximity

International Transfer of Knowledge: The Role of International Trade and Geographic Proximity. —The paper examines empirically the effect of international trade and geographic proximity on knowledge inflow to Sweden. Swedish patent data is used to trace knowledge flows. Both geographic proximity and international trade are in a first estimation found to affect knowledge flows. An extreme bounds analysis is conducted on the estimated coefficients. The coefficient for geographic proximity is sensitive to the choice of included variables but the coefficient for international trade is robust. The paper concludes therefore, that international trade facilitates the exchange of knowledge.     

Collusive intra-industry trade in identical commodities

Collusive Intra-Industry Trade in Identical Commodities. — A homogenous-goods Cournot model with two countries and two firms is analyzed. Firms may collude by monopolizing their domestic markets, but they may also engage in collusive intra-industry trade. It turns out that, though such trade is costly because of transportation costs, firms might indeed trade since this enlarges the scope of successful collusion. Hence, intra-industry trade in homogenous goods is not a reliable indicator of competition.     

How important is intra-industry trade in trade growth?

Empirical work on intra-industry trade (IIT) is almost 30 years old. Initial research sought to identify if IIT was a significant share of total trade (TT). The Grubel-Lloyd (GL) index was widely used for this purpose. Interest has since shifted to the changing importance of IITover time. Using movements in the GL index to infer the importance of IIT over time is not only vague, but can be misleading. In this article, we measure the contributions of growth in net trade (NT) and IIT to the growth in TT. To understand changes in IIT over time, we also derive the contributions of imports and exports to the growth in TT, NT, and IIT. All our formulas are illustrated with data for 205 Australian manufacturing industries.     

中印制成品产业内贸易分析

本文通过对中印制成品产业内贸易的分析发现,首先,从静态的产业内贸易水平的考察来看,中印制成品主要是以产业间贸易的模式为主.其次,从动态产业内贸易水平的考察来看,中印的贸易增长主要是以产业问贸易为主要特征的.另外值得一提的是,对于边际产业内贸易指数不能纠正贸易不平衡性的问题也需要进一步的研究,以便找到更能真实反映边际产业内贸易的指标体系.