Immigration, trade and productivity in services: Evidence from UK firms

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Ottaviano, Gianmarco I. P.; Peri, Giovanni; Wright, Greg C.
• 署名单位: University of London; London School Economics & Political Science; Bocconi University; University of London; London School Economics & Political Science; Centre for Economic Policy Research - UK; University of California System; University of California Davis; National Bureau of Economic Research; University of California System; University of California Merced
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-1996
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jinteco.2018.02.007
• 发表日期: 2018
• 页码: 88-108
• 关键词: immigration; Services trade

摘要

This paper explores the impact of immigrants on the imports, exports and productivity of service-producing firms in the U.K. Immigrants may substitute for imported intermediate inputs (offshore production) and they may impact the productivity of the firm as well as its export costs. The first effect can be understood as the re-assignment of offshore tasks to immigrant workers. The second can be seen as a cost cutting effect due to immigration, and the third as a trade-cost reducing effect. To test the empirical significance and size of these effects, we exploit differences in immigrant inflows across U.K. labor markets and a new firm-level dataset on U.K. service firms. We find that immigrants increase overall productivity in service-producing firms, revealing a cost cutting impact on these firms. They also reduce the extent of country-specific off shoring, consistent with a reallocation of tasks, and they increase country-specific exports, consistent with a reduction in bilateral communication and trade costs. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.