Joachim Stibora

Producer services, comparative advantage, and international trade patterns

We unite the theories of factor abundance and monopolistic competition to explore the general equilibrium relations between trade in producer services, economies of scale and factor markets. In our model, two final goods are produced using capital, labor, and a variety of differentiated producer services that are produced under increasing returns to scale. We analyze the implications for comparative advantage and trade in goods between two countries that differ in factor endowments and in technology of service provision. Moreover, we use the concept of the integrated world equilibrium to investigate trade in goods and services, also when services require foreign direct investments.

Services Tradability, Trade Liberalization and Foreign Direct Investment

The authors analyze a two-country, general equilibrium model. The countries are identical, except for the existence of an efficiently operating market for producer services in one country, which allows it to gain cost advantages by using differentiated services as an intermediate input in the production process. Foreign manufacturers can only use these if there is international exchange in services products or services technology. The welfare effects of liberalizing trade in services are mixed. Not only the distinction between trade in services output and foreign direct investment is important, but also the specific mode by which foreign direct investment is conducted. Copyright 1996 by The London School of Economics and Political Science.

Does Preferential Trade Benefit Poor Countries? A General Equilibrium Assessment with Nonhomothetic Preferences

We develop a Ricardian model of trade with nonhomothetic preferences to analyze preferential trade agreements (PTAs) among countries of different stages of economic development. The richer a country is, the more likely will PTAs improve its terms of trade, also when it is a non-member. Rich non-member countries are also less likely to incur welfare losses from PTAs. PTA membership only guarantees welfare gains for countries that are too poor to import the goods rich countries produce. For all other countries, the welfare effects of joining PTAs depend on the world income distribution and on the strength of comparative advantages.