The Determinants of Intra-Firm Trade

47 Pages Posted: 17 Nov 2009

See all articles by Gregory Corcos

Gregory Corcos

Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) - Department of Economics

Delphine Irac

Banque de France

Giordano Mion

University of Sussex - Department of Economics; London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Centre for Economic Performance (CEP); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Thierry Verdier

Paris School of Economics (PSE); Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) - Department of Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

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Date Written: November 2009

Abstract

How successful is the theory of the firm in explaining intra-firm trade? To answer this question we exploit a unique dataset of 1,141,393 French import transactions, spanning across firm, countries and products in 1999, and reporting whether a transaction is intra-firm. Overall, we find support for the main predictions of the partial equilibrium property-rights approach and further deliver facts that can be useful for further theoretical development. We document substantial within-industry heterogeneity while providing evidence of the importance of the firm dimension of sourcing choices as well as of the key distinction between the extensive and intensive margins.

Keywords: extensive margin, firm heterogeneity, incomplete contracts, intensive margin, internationalization strategies, intra-firm trade, outsourcing, quality of institutions

JEL Classification: F12, F19, F23

Suggested Citation

Corcos, Gregory and Irac, Delphine and Mion, Giordano and Verdier, Thierry, The Determinants of Intra-Firm Trade (November 2009). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP7530, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1507526

Gregory Corcos (Contact Author)

Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) - Department of Economics ( email )

Helleveien 30
N-5035 Bergen
Norway

Delphine Irac

Banque de France ( email )

Paris
France

Giordano Mion

University of Sussex - Department of Economics ( email )

Falmer, Brighton BN1 9SL
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://sites.google.com/site/giordanomionhp/

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) ( email )

Houghton Street
London WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) ( email )

London
United Kingdom

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute) ( email )

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

Thierry Verdier

Paris School of Economics (PSE) ( email )

48 Boulevard Jourdan
Paris, 75014
France

Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) - Department of Economics ( email )

Rua Marques de Sao Vicente, 225/206F
Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22453
Brazil

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

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