We examine the quantitative predictions of heterogeneous firm models à la Melitz (2003) in the context of the Canada - US Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA) of 1989. We compute predicted increases in trade flows and measured productivity across a range of standard models and compare them to the...

We propose a quantitative framework for the analysis of industrialization in which specialization in manufacturing or agriculture is driven by comparative advantage and non-homothetic preferences. Countries are integrated through trade but trade is not costless and geographic position matters....

While exports within NAFTA face a lower hazard of ceasing, its onset has increased the hazard for Mexican and U.S. intra NAFTA exports. Intra NAFTA exports still enjoy a lower hazard relative to exports to non–members. While NAFTA did affect the hazard for Canada’s exports in the short run,...

Firms may benefit from proximity to each other due to the existence of several externalities. The productivity premia of firms located in agglomerated regions can be attributed to savings and gains from external economies. However, the capacity to absorb information may depend on activities of...

This paper estimates the relationship between innovation and firm performance by using Community Innovation Survey data for Hungary. It exploits the possibility of linking the innovation data to ownership and disaggregated trade data. Innovative firms are more productive, more likely to trade...

Firms cluster their economic activities to exploit technological and informational spillovers from other firms. Spillovers through the entry of multinational firms can be particularly beneficial to domestic firms because of their technological superiority. Yet, the importance of foreign firm's...