Country asymmetries, endogenous product choice and the timing of trade liberalization

We analyze the effects of trade liberalization on firms’ decisions and profits in a vertical product differentiation model with countries which have different characteristics. Firms decide product specifications at the beginning of the game, in which autarky is followed by trade liberalization (whos...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Cabrales, Antonio, Motta, Massimo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2001
País:España
Institución:Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Repositorio:Repositorio Digital de la UPF
OAI Identifier:oai:repositori.upf.edu:10230/46619
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10230/46619
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0014-2921(99)00073-2
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Trade liberalization
Product differentiation
International trade
Descripción
Sumario:We analyze the effects of trade liberalization on firms’ decisions and profits in a vertical product differentiation model with countries which have different characteristics. Firms decide product specifications at the beginning of the game, in which autarky is followed by trade liberalization (whose date is anticipated). Our analysis suggests that a firm located in a large (or rich) country is the likely market leader at the trade equilibrium. This outcome might be reversed if small country firms have a strong cost advantage, transport costs are negligible, or if the large country opens its market before the small one.