TRADE LIBERALIZATION AND THE DIMENSIONS OF EFFICIENCY CHANGE IN MEXICAN MANUFACTURING-INDUSTRIES

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: TYBOUT, JR; WESTBROOK, MD
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-1996
• DOI: 10.1016/0022-1996(94)01363-W
• 发表日期: 1995
• 页码: 53-78
• 关键词: trade liberalization; PRODUCTIVITY; Scale economies; Mexico

摘要

Did Mexico's recent trade liberalization generate productivity gains? We find that average costs fell in most industries, with tradeable goods producers registering the largest reductions. Among importables, these cost reductions trace partly to improvements in relative productivity. Among exportables, they are due to favorable changes in relative prices, probably because imported intermediate goods became cheaper. Gains due to scale economy exploitation were minor and were not correlated with increases in foreign competition. Hence the results cast some doubt an simulation studies of trade liberalization that stress scale effects as a major source of efficiency gain.