Econometrica

Journal Of The Econometric Society

An International Society for the Advancement of Economic
Theory in its Relation to Statistics and Mathematics

Edited by: Guido W. Imbens • Print ISSN: 0012-9682 • Online ISSN: 1468-0262

Econometrica: Mar, 2012, Volume 80, Issue 2

Task Trade Between Similar Countries

https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA8700
p. 593-629

Gene M. Grossman, Esteban Rossi‐Hansberg

We propose a theory of task trade between countries that have similar relative factor endowments and technological capabilities, but may differ in size. Firms produce differentiated goods by performing a continuum of tasks, each of which generates local spillovers. Tasks can be performed at home or abroad, but offshoring entails costs that vary by task. In equilibrium, the tasks with the highest offshoring costs may not be traded. Among the remainder, those with the relatively higher offshoring costs are performed in the country that has the higher wage and the higher aggregate output. We discuss the relationship between equilibrium wages, equilibrium outputs, and relative country size.


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Supplemental Material

Supplement to "Task Trade between Similar Countries"

An appendix proving Lemmas 1, 2, and 3 contained in the paper.