Persistence and Mobility in International Trade

Bank of England Working Paper No. 64

32 Pages Posted: 10 Jun 1998

See all articles by James Proudman

James Proudman

Bank of England, Monetary Instruments and Markets Division

Stephen J. Redding

Princeton University

Date Written: June 1997

Abstract

The theoretical literature on endogenous growth and international trade suggests that comparative advantage is endogenous. Sector-specific learning by doing and technology transfer respectively provide reasons why initial patterns of international specialization may persist or exhibit mobility over time. This paper evaluates the extent of persistence or mobility in trade in manufactured goods in Germany and the United Kingdom for the period 1970-93. A measure of the extent of specialization is presented and its evolution over time modelled as a sequence of cross section distributions. Evidence of considerable mobility is found, with the degree of mobility in the United Kingdom exceeding that in Germany.

JEL Classification: F12, F14

Suggested Citation

Proudman, James and Redding, Stephen J., Persistence and Mobility in International Trade (June 1997). Bank of England Working Paper No. 64, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=79473 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.79473

James Proudman (Contact Author)

Bank of England, Monetary Instruments and Markets Division ( email )

Threadneedle Street
London, EC2R 8AH
United Kingdom

Stephen J. Redding

Princeton University ( email )

Princeton, NJ 08544-1021
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.princeton.edu/~reddings/

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