Does lumpiness matter in an open economy? Studying international economics with regional data

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Debaere, P
• 署名单位: University of Texas System; University of Texas Austin
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-1996
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jinteco.2003.07.005
• 发表日期: 2004
• 页码: 485-501
• 关键词: Heekscher-Ihlin; multicone production; factor price equalization; regional integration; Economic geography

摘要

This paper addresses the empirical question whether the regional distribution of production factors within countries is ever so uneven that it triggers specialization of production that makes regions produce different sets of goods at different factor prices. Due to the different welfare effects of trade policy in a country with regional specialization, this is an important question. In addition, it is a question about the legitimacy of treating a country as a relatively homogenous unit. In answering these questions, I implement the concept of lumpiness as introduced by Courant and Deardorff [J. Polit. Econ. 100 (1992) 198]. 1 find that lumpiness or an uneven regional distribution of production factors that induces intranational specialization and different regional factor prices is not an issue for Japan, the United Kingdom and maybe not even for India. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.