Better, Faster, Stronger: Global Innovation and Trade Liberalization

42 Pages Posted: 20 Sep 2016

See all articles by Federica Coelli

Federica Coelli

University of Bologna - Department of Economics

Andreas Moxnes

University of Oslo - Department of Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Karen Helene Ulltveit-Moe

University of Oslo - Department of Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: September 2016

Abstract

This paper estimates the effect of trade policy during the Great Liberalization of the 1990s on innovation in over 60 countries using international firm-level patent data. The empirical strategy exploits ex-ante differences in firms' exposure to countries and industries, allowing us to construct firm-specific measures of tariffs. This provides asource of variation that enables us to establish the causal impact of trade policy on innovation. Our results suggest that trade liberalization has economically significant effects on innovation and, ultimately, on technical change and growth. According to our estimates, about 7 percent of the increase in knowledge creation during the 1990s can be explained by trade policy reforms. Furthermore, we find that the increase in patenting reflects innovation, rather than simply more protection of existing knowledge. Both improved market access and more import competition contribute to the positive innovation response to trade liberalization.

Keywords: innovation, patents, trade liberalization

JEL Classification: F0, F1, F13, F6

Suggested Citation

Coelli, Federica and Moxnes, Andreas and Ulltveit-Moe, Karen Helene, Better, Faster, Stronger: Global Innovation and Trade Liberalization (September 2016). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP11506, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2840703

Federica Coelli (Contact Author)

University of Bologna - Department of Economics ( email )

Strada Maggiore 45
Bologna, 40125
Italy

Andreas Moxnes

University of Oslo - Department of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 1095 Blindern
N-0317 Oslo
Norway

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) ( email )

London
United Kingdom

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Karen Helene Ulltveit-Moe

University of Oslo - Department of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 1095 Blindern
N-0317 Oslo
Norway

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

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