Trade liberalization and per capita income convergence: a difference-in-differences analysis

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Slaughter, MJ
• 署名单位: National Bureau of Economic Research; Dartmouth College
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-1996
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-1996(00)00087-8
• 发表日期: 2001
• 页码: 203-228
• 关键词: trade liberalization; income convergence

摘要

In this article I analyze whether trade liberalization contributes to per capita income convergence across countries. The analysis focuses on four post-1945 multilateral trade liberalizations. To identify trade's effect on income dispersion, in each case I use a 'difference in differences' approach which compares the convergence pattern among the liberalizing countries before and after liberalization with the convergence pattern among control countries, chosen using a variety of methods, before and after liberalization. My main empirical result is I find no strong, systematic link between trade liberalization and convergence. In fact, much evidence suggests trade liberalization diverges incomes among liberalizers. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.