The Measured Productivity Puzzle: Are Exporters More Productive

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DEPARTAMENTO DE FUNDAMENTOS
DEL ANÁLISIS ECONÓMICO
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SEMINARIO DE INVESTIGACIÓN
The Measured Productivity Puzzle:
Are Exporters More Productive than Non-Exporters?
PONENTES:
Timothy J. Kehoe
(University. of Minnesota y
Federal Reserve Bank of
Minneapolis)
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Pau S. Pujolràs
(McMaster University)
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ABSTRACT: Recent research in international trade simultaneously has developed along two
branches. Empirical research measures plants’ productivity and shows that exporters are more
productive than non-exporters. Theoretical research develops models of heterogeneous firms
and shows that exporters are more efficient than non-exporters. We argue that there is a
disconnect: the measure of firm productivity used in the empirical literature does not match the
efficiency parameter in the theoretical literature. Applying the empirical measure of productivity
to the model, we find that the most efficient non-exporters’ productivity is higher than that of
the least efficient exporters, new exporters’ productivity falls after trade liberalization, and the
variance in measured productivity is very small. In a calibrated model, we show that measured
productivity of all exporters is smaller than that of non-exporters and the productivity of all firms
falls after a trade liberalization.
Fecha: 3 de Julio de 2015
Hora: 12:30h.
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Lugar: Seminario Tino Martinez Gallur
Facultad de Economía y Empresa, Campus de Espinardo, Murcia.
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