TRADE LIBERALIZATION AND GROWTH: Evidence from Mexican Cities

Applying the most recent methodology for explaining economic growth differences across countries (Barro, 1997), education, learning by doing, infrastructure, and knowledge spillovers due to specialization have been considered relevant in explaining productivity growth differences in Mexican urban manufacturing (de León, 1999). In this article, I evaluated whether there is a significant change in the relevance of these variables under trade liberalization. In particular, I evaluated the hypothesis that trade liberalization would promote productivity growth in the northern cities as result of the dynamic effect of trade given that these cities are close to the new central market for Mexican manufacturing and the loss of relevance in the previous accumulated growth factors (Livas and Krugman, 1992; Hanson, 1994). In contrast to that hypothesis, I observed that urban manufacturing close to the United States did not show a better performance than the rest of the cities as expected and that accumulated growth factors, such as education, learning by doing, and infrastructure are still relevant in explaining productivity growth across urban manufacturing in Mexico.     

Understanding the Remittance Gender Gap among Hispanics in the US: Gendered Norms and the Role of Expectations

Using the 2006 Latino National Survey (LNS), this study analyzes the existence of a gender gap in favor of men in the monetary remittance behavior of Hispanics residing in the United States. Findings indicate that cultural gender norms and expectations in the country of origin play a key role. The study shows that women migrants are less likely to remit than men and, when they do, they transfer smaller amounts. The remittance gender gap is not universal among subgroups, since it is only observable among Hispanics who came to the US to improve their economic situation, plan to return to their home country, and have low income and low schooling. An index on migrants’ perceptions of gender roles as a proxy for cultural gendered norms is constructed and shows that more traditional gender views are associated with a significant gender gap in favor of men in remittances.     

The Construction of Corporate Social Responsibility in Network Societies: A Communication View

The paper introduces the communication view on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which regards CSR as communicatively constructed in dynamic interaction processes in today’s networked societies. Building on the idea that communication constitutes organizations we discuss the potentially indeterminate, disintegrative, and conflictual character of CSR. We hereby challenge established mainstream views on CSR such as the instrumental view, which regards CSR as an organizational instrument to reach organizational aims such as improved reputation and financial performance, and the political-normative view on CSR, which highlights the societal conditions and role of corporations in creating norms. We argue that both the established views, by not sufficiently acknowledging communication dynamics in networked societies, remain biased in three ways: control-biased, consistency-biased, and consensus-biased. We discuss implications of these biases and propose a future research agenda for the communication view on CSR.     

Trade‐led growth hypothesis in Cuban commercial regimes since 19601,2

This study examines the impact of trade on Cuban growth during different commercial policy regimes spanning the period from 1960 up to 2004, encompassing two essential economic structural transformations: the Cuban revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall. For this purpose, the Granger causality is used by means of the modified Wald test for augmented‐level vector autoregressive model with integrated and cointegrated processes introduced by Toda and Yamamoto (1995) and Dolado and Lutekepohl (1996) . We show an import‐led growth hypothesis during the Soviet‐oriented pattern that is rejected after 1990, when exports are not only responsive to growth expansion but also to imports’ behaviour.     

Repeated Dichotomous Choice Formats for Elicitation of Willingness to Pay: Simultaneous Estimation and Anchoring Effect

Repeated dichotomous choice contingent valuation data are generated from responses to a succession of binary questions regarding alternative prices for an environmental good. In this paper we propose a simultaneous equation model that allows for endogeneity and error correlation across the responses at each stage of the bidding process. The model allows us to study the evolution of anchoring effects after the second dichotomous choice question. Estimation involves the Bayesian techniques of Gibbs sampling and data augmentation, and the application focuses on the preservation value of a natural area. The results for a data set involving up to four successive dichotomous choice questions show that restricted multiple-bounded models are rejected by the data with the general model. In addition, willingness to pay tends to stabilize after the second stage in the elicitation process for the general unrestricted model. When taking anchoring effects into consideration, it is revealed that individuals’ responses in the latter stages are influenced by the sequence of bid prices offered in earlier questions. Nevertheless, they do not have a significant effect on welfare estimates.      

Type space on a purely measurable parameter space

Summary. Several game theoretical topics require the analysis of hierarchical beliefs, particularly in incomplete information situations. For the problem of incomplete information, Harsányi suggested the concept of the type space. Later Mertens and Zamir gave a construction of such a type space under topological assumptions imposed on the parameter space. The topological assumptions were weakened by Heifetz, and by Brandenburger & Dekel. In this paper we show that at very natural assumptions upon the structure of the beliefs, the universal type space does exist. We construct a universal type space, which employs purely a measurable parameter space structure.Received: 12 August 2002, Revised: 1 March 2004, JEL Classification Numbers: C70, C79, D80, D82.Miklós Pintér: The author wishes to thank Péter Tallos, Tamás Solymosi, and an anonymous referee for their suggestions and comments. This work was supported by OTKA grant T046194.     

Macroeconomic effects of an indirect tax substitution

We study an indirect tax reform in a general equilibrium model with imperfect competition for both the Cournot and the Free entry equilibria. We show that it is possible to attain a positive balanced budget multiplier by means of a substitution of specific by ad valorem taxation. Moreover, although any tax substitution causes higher prices and the flow up of firms in the long-run, the Free entry equilibrium output can increase with respect to that of the Cournot equilibrium. Finally, in contrast with the partial equilibrium, welfare decreasing tax reforms are likely to occur even when the balanced budget multiplier is positive.      

Modeling Cyclical Asymmetries in GDP: International Evidence

This paper models asymmetric behavior in GDP growth in the USA, Germany, France, and Japan. It develops smooth transition autoregressive models and interprets nonlinear dynamics in terms of cyclical asymmetries. A procedure for defining data-based, qualitative cyclical regimes from the estimated models is proposed, and generalized impulse response functions are computed to assess to what extent the response to a shock changes over different phases of the cycle.     

Export Barriers and Problems Associated With Exporting Icelandic Marine Products Under Conditions of Export or Die

We have examined perceived barriers to the export of Icelandic marine products and how they have changed over a period of nearly 20 years. We used qualitative and quantitative information from two different surveys conducted in 1993 and 2011. We identified nine main barriers to export that existed in both 1993 and 2011, plus an additional seven factors that prevailed only in 1993 or only in 2011. Further, we distinguished whether these factors were internal or external to the decision area of the Icelandic export firms. This report details the outcome of each survey, compares them quantitatively, and explains the patterns observed using the survey interviews of exporters.