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Low-Wage Countries’ Competition, Reallocation Across Firms and the Quality Content of Exports

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  • Julien Martin
  • Isabelle Méjean

Abstract

We consider the impact of low-wage countries’ competition on the quality content of high-wage countries’ exports. We develop a new method that uses firm-level data to measure quality changes in sectoral exports. Over 1995-2005, we measure a 11% increase in the mean quality of France’s aggregate exports. Quality upgrading is driven by a reallocation of demand in favor of higher quality producers. The phenomenon is significantly more pronounced in markets where the penetration of developing countries has increased while it goes the opposite direction where firms face increased competitive pressures from high-wage countries. These results are consistent with within-product specialization along the vertical dimension. They suggest that, over the period, France has specialized in the production of higher quality goods. In our data, around one fifth of the measured quality improvement in France’s aggregate exports is attributable to low-wage countries’ competition.

Suggested Citation

  • Julien Martin & Isabelle Méjean, 2012. "Low-Wage Countries’ Competition, Reallocation Across Firms and the Quality Content of Exports," Working Papers 2012-04, CEPII research center.
    • Handle: RePEc:cii:cepidt:2012-04
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    Cited by:

    1. Julien MARTIN & Florian MAYNERIS, 2013. "High-End Variety Exporters Defying Distance: Micro Facts and Macroeconomic Implications," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2013027, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    2. Maria Bas & Vanessa Strauss-Kahn, 2013. "Input-Trade Liberalization, Export Prices and Quality Upgrading," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03460775, HAL.
    3. Auer, Raphael A. & Degen, Kathrin & Fischer, Andreas M., 2013. "Low-wage import competition, inflationary pressure, and industry dynamics in Europe," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 141-166.
    4. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/6ggbvnr6munghes9oc1hggs11 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Franco Amatori & Matteo Bugamelli & Andrea Colli, 2011. "Italian Firms in History: Size, Technology and Entrepreneurship," Quaderni di storia economica (Economic History Working Papers) 13, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    6. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/6ggbvnr6munghes9oc1hggs11 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Ana M. Fernandes & Caroline Paunov, 2013. "Does trade stimulate product quality upgrading?," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 46(4), pages 1232-1264, November.
    8. Gaulier, Guillaume & Santoni, Gianluca & Taglioni, Daria & Zignago, Soledad, 2013. "In the wake of the global crisis : evidence from a new quarterly database of export competitiveness," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6733, The World Bank.
    9. Castellares, Renzo, 2015. "Competition and Quality Upgrading in Export Markets: The case of Peruvian Apparel Exports," Working Papers 2015-010, Banco Central de Reserva del Perú.
    10. Giorgia Giovannetti & Marco Sanfilippo, 2016. "China’s competition and the export price strategies of developed countries," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(2), pages 238-254, March.
    11. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/6ggbvnr6munghes9oc1hggs11 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/6ggbvnr6munghes9oc1hggs11 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Jürgen Janger & Werner Hölzl & Serguei Kaniovski & Johannes Kutsam & Michael Peneder & Andreas Reinstaller & Susanne Bärenthaler-Sieber & Isabel Stadler & Fabian Unterlass, 2011. "Structural Change and the Competitiveness of EU Member States," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 42956.
    14. Gaulier, G. & Santoni, G. & Taglioni, D. & Zignago, S., 2013. "Market Shares in the Wake of the Global Crisis: the Quarterly Export Competitiveness Database," Working papers 472, Banque de France.
    15. Matteo Bugamelli & Silvia Fabiani & Enrico Sette, 2015. "The Age of the Dragon: The Effect of Imports from China on Firm‐Level Prices," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 47(6), pages 1091-1118, September.
    16. Rabah Amir & Hend Ghazzai & Rim Lahmandi-Ayed, 2023. "On the political economy of economic integration," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 61(1), pages 61-100, July.
    17. A. Berthou. & C. Sandoz., 2014. "Labour productivity in Europe: allocative efficiency of labour or performance of firms?," Quarterly selection of articles - Bulletin de la Banque de France, Banque de France, issue 34, pages 47-67, summer.
    18. repec:wsr:wpaper:y:2012:i:102 is not listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Firm-Level Data; Quality Heterogeneity; Low-Wage Countries’ Competition; Within-product specialization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade

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