Import liberalization as export destruction? Evidence from the United States

Breinlich, Holger, Leromain, Elsa, Novy, Dennis and Sampson, Thomas ORCID: 0009-0006-2237-5497 (2021) Import liberalization as export destruction? Evidence from the United States. CEP Discussion Papers (1779). Centre for Economic Performance, LSE, London, UK.

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Abstract

How does import protection affect export performance? In trade models with scale economies, import liberalization can reduce an industry's exports by cutting domestic production. We find this export destruction mechanism reduced US export growth following the normalization of trade relations with China (PNTR). But there was also an offsetting boost to exports from lower input costs. We use our empirical results to calibrate the strength of scale economies in a quantitative trade model. Counterfactual analysis implies that while PNTR increased aggregate US exports relative to GDP, exports declined in the most exposed industries because of the export destruction effect. On aggregate, the US and China both gain from PNTR, but the gains are larger for China.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	https://cep.lse.ac.uk/_new/publications/discussion...
Additional Information:	© 2021 The Authors
Divisions:	Economics Centre for Economic Performance
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HF Commerce
JEL classification:	F - International Economics > F1 - Trade > F12 - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies F - International Economics > F1 - Trade > F13 - Commercial Policy; Protection; Promotion; Trade Negotiations; International Trade Organizations F - International Economics > F1 - Trade > F15 - Economic Integration
Date Deposited:	04 Mar 2022 11:30
Last Modified:	11 Dec 2024 19:40
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/113926

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