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Economic performance under NAFTA : a firm-level analysis of the trade-productivity linkages

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  • De Hoyos, Rafael E.
  • Iacovone, Leonardo

Abstract

Did the North American Free Trade Agreement make Mexican firms more productive? If so, through which channels? This paper addresses these questions by deploying an innovative microeconometric approach that disentangles the various channels through which integration with the global markets (via international trade) can affect firm-level productivity. The results show that the North American Free Trade Agreement stimulated the productivity of Mexican plants via: (1) an increase in import competition and (2) a positive effect on access to imported intermediate inputs. However, the impact of trade reforms was not identical for all integrated firms, with fully integrated firms (i.e. firms simultaneously exporting and importing) benefiting more than other integrated firms. Contrary to previous results, once self-selection problems are solved, the analysis finds a rather weak relationship between exports and productivity growth.

Suggested Citation

  • De Hoyos, Rafael E. & Iacovone, Leonardo, 2011. "Economic performance under NAFTA : a firm-level analysis of the trade-productivity linkages," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5661, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:5661
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    2. Marion Dovis & Chahir Zaki, 2018. "Global Value Chains and Business Environment: Which Factors Do Really Matter?," Working Papers 1270, Economic Research Forum, revised 19 Dec 2018.
    3. Rudakovski, Yan (Рудаковский, Ян), 2019. "Estimation of Belarus Trade Policy Liberalization Process Following Customs Union Creation [Оценка Либерализации Нетарифных Барьеров Республики Беларусь После Создания Тc]," Ekonomicheskaya Politika / Economic Policy, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, vol. 3, pages 110-131, June.
    4. Iacovone, Leonardo & Rauch, Ferdinand & Winters, L. Alan, 2013. "Trade as an engine of creative destruction: Mexican experience with Chinese competition," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(2), pages 379-392.
    5. Marion Dovis & Chahir Zaki, 2020. "Global Value Chains and Local Business Environments: Which Factors Really Matter in Developing Countries?," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 57(2), pages 481-513, September.
    6. Ayuma Ken Kikkawa & Yuan Mei & Pablo Robles Santamarina & Ken Kikkawa, 2019. "The Impact of NAFTA on Prices and Competition: Evidence from Mexican Manufacturing Plants," CESifo Working Paper Series 7700, CESifo.
    7. Esquivias, M.A., 2017. "The Change of Comparative Advantage of Agricultural Activities in East Java Within the Context of Asean Economic Integration," AGRIS on-line Papers in Economics and Informatics, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Economics and Management, vol. 9(1), March.
    8. Torre Cepeda, Leonardo E. & Ramos, Luis Fernando Colunga, 2015. "Patterns of TFP growth in Mexico: 1991–2011," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 398-420.
    9. Nikita Céspedes & Maria E. Aquije & Alan Sánchez & Rafael Vera-Tudela, 2014. "Productividad y tratados de libre comercio a nivel de empresas en Perú," Working Papers 27, Peruvian Economic Association.
    10. Michele Imbruno, 2008. "EXPORTING, PRODUCTIVITY AND MARKET INTEGRATON: Italian manufacturing firms within the European context," Quaderni DSEMS 22-2008, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche, Matematiche e Statistiche, Universita' di Foggia.
    11. López Noria Gabriela, 2021. "The Impact of Trade Liberalization on the Mexican Automobile Industry: Evidence from the First 20 Years of NAFTA," Working Papers 2021-10, Banco de México.
    12. Iacovone, Leonardo, 2012. "The better you are the stronger it makes you: Evidence on the asymmetric impact of liberalization," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(2), pages 474-485.
    13. François Bourguignon & Maurizio Bussolo & Luiz A. Pereira da Silva, 2008. "The Impact of Macroeconomic Policies on Poverty and Income Distribution : Macro-Micro Evaluation Techniques and Tools," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 6586.
    14. Khan, Nazmus Sadat, 2020. "Revisiting the effects of NAFTA," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 1-16.
    15. Antonio Martuscelli & Michael Gasiorek, 2019. "Regional Integration And Poverty: A Review Of The Transmission Channels And The Evidence," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 431-457, April.
    16. Piedrahita, N. & Hailu, G., 2018. "Exports and Productivity in Canadian Food Manufacturing," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277322, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    17. Jun Hou & Xiaolan Fu & Pierre Mohnen, 2022. "The Impact of China–Africa Trade on the Productivity of African Firms: Evidence from Ghana," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(2), pages 869-896, April.

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    Keywords

    Economic Theory&Research; Free Trade; Labor Policies; Knowledge for Development; Microfinance;
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