The Simple Analytics of the Melitz Model in a Small Open Economy

Svetlana Demidova, Andrés Rodríguez-Clarez

NBER Working Paper No. 17521
Issued in October 2011
NBER Program(s):   ITI

In this paper we present a version of the Melitz (2003) model for the case of a small economy and summarize its key relationships with the aid of a simple figure. We then use this figure to provide an intuitive analysis of the implications of asymmetric changes in trade barriers and show that a decline in import costs always benefits the liberalizing country. This stands in contrast to variants of the Melitz model with a freely traded (outside) sector, such as Demidova (2008) and Melitz and Ottaviano (2008), where the country that reduces importing trade costs experiences a decline in welfare.

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This paper was revised on March 20, 2013

Acknowledgments

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