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When Pareto meets Melitz: the inapplicability of the Melitz-Pareto model for Chinese firms

Author

Listed:
  • Sun, Churen
  • Tian, Guoqiang
  • Zhang, Tao

Abstract

This paper realizes the Melitz-Pareto model using firm-level data from 40 Chinese manufacturing industries from 1998 and 2007. Under the hypothesis that the productivity of firms in each industry follows a Pareto distribution, we show that the domestic sales of non-exporters and the foreign sales of exporters in each industry also follow a Pareto distribution, respectively. We then estimate industrial productivity Pareto distributions, and cut-offs of domestic sales of non-exporters and foreign sales of exporters for each industry. Together this yields all the parameters of the Melitz-Pareto model. Our result shows that the Melitz-Pareto model may not fully apply to Chinese firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Sun, Churen & Tian, Guoqiang & Zhang, Tao, 2011. "When Pareto meets Melitz: the inapplicability of the Melitz-Pareto model for Chinese firms," MPRA Paper 35597, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:35597
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Ma, Shuang & Sun, Churen & Tian, Guoqiang, 2011. "Minimum wage and export: evidence from Chinese firm-level data," MPRA Paper 35098, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Bawa, Siraj, 2017. "Corporate Taxation in the Open Economy without Pareto," MPRA Paper 80857, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Aug 2017.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Melitz-Pareto model; Pareto distribution; productivity heterogeneity; export;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation

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