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Cities Export Specialization

Author

Listed:
  • Jorge Díaz-Lanchas

    (Department of Economic Analysis: Economic Theory. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Lawrence R. Klein Institute/CEPREDE. 28049 Cantoblanco. Madrid)

  • Carlos Llano

    (Department of Economic Analysis: Economic Theory. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Lawrence R. Klein Institute/CEPREDE. 28049 Cantoblanco. Madrid)

  • Asier Minondo

    (Corresponding author. Deusto Business School, University of Deusto, Camino de Mundaiz 50, 20012 Donostia - San Sebastian (Spain). Research afiliate of Instituto Complutense de Estudios Internacionales.)

  • Francisco Requena

    (Department of Economic Structure, University of Valencia, Avda. dels Tarongers s/n, 46022 Valencia (Spain).)

Abstract

Do large and small cities exhibit different patterns of export specialization? Using highly disaggregated product-level trade data for Brazilian cities in year 2013, we find that more populated urban areas export proportionately more complex and skill-intensive goods than less populated urban areas. We also show that Brazilian urban areas that have increased more in population have also augmented more than proportionately the exports of complex and skill-intensive goods. Our empirical findings support recent models which argue that large cities attract more skilled workers and exhibit a wide range of capabilities, providing them a comparative advantage in skill-intensive and complex goods.

Suggested Citation

  • Jorge Díaz-Lanchas & Carlos Llano & Asier Minondo & Francisco Requena, 2016. "Cities Export Specialization," Working Papers 1604, Department of Applied Economics II, Universidad de Valencia.
    • Handle: RePEc:eec:wpaper:1604
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Dingel, Jonathan I. & Miscio, Antonio & Davis, Donald R., 2021. "Cities, lights, and skills in developing economies," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    2. Santiago Perez Balsalobre & Carlos Llano Verduras & Jorge Diaz-Lanchas, 2019. "Measuring subnational economic complexity: An application with Spanish data," JRC Working Papers on Territorial Modelling and Analysis 2019-05, Joint Research Centre.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    urban areas; exports; complexity; skills; comparative advantage; Brazil;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F11 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Neoclassical Models of Trade
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)

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