TY  - JOUR
AU  - Bergin,Paul R.
AU  - Glick,Reuven
TI  - Tradability, Productivity, and Understanding International Economic Integration
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 11637
PY  - 2005
Y2  - September 2005
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w11637
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w11637.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Paul Bergin
Department of Economics
University of California, Davis
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA 95616
Tel: 530/752-8398
Fax: 530/752-9382
E-Mail: prbergin@ucdavis.edu

Reuven Glick
Economic Research Department
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
101 Market Street
San Francisco, CA  94105
Tel: 415/974-3184
Fax: 415/974-2168
E-Mail: reuven.Glick@sf.frb.org
AB  - This paper develops a two-country macro model with endogenous tradability to study features of international economic integration. Recent episodes of integration in Europe and North America suggest some surprising observations: while quantities of trade have increased significantly, especially along the extensive margin, price dispersion has not decreased and may even have increased. We propose a way of reconciling these price and quantity observations in a macroeconomic model where the decision of heterogeneous firms to trade internationally is endogenous. Trade is shaped both by the nature of heterogeneity -- trade costs versus productivity -- and by the nature of trade policies -- cuts in fixed costs versus cuts in per unit costs like tariffs. For example, in contrast to tariff cuts, trade policies that work mainly by lowering various fixed costs of trade may have large effects on entry decisions at the extensive margin without having direct effects on price-setting decisions. Whether this entry raises or lowers overall price dispersion depends on the type of heterogeneity that distinguishes the new entrants from incumbent traders.
ER  -