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North–South Trade-Related Technology Diffusion and the East Asia–Latin America Productivity Gap

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2023

Maurice Schiff*
Affiliation:
IZA Institute of Labor Economics, 3299 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA
Yanling Wang
Affiliation:
Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, 5306 River Building, 1125 Colonel-By-Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
*
Corresponding author: Maurice Shiff, Email: schiffmauricewilly@gmail.com
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Abstract

This paper examines the impact of trade-related technology diffusion from G7 countries to Latin America and East Asia on total factor productivity controlling for education, governance, and distance. We build on the trade and distance-focused strands of the technology diffusion literature and find that (i) total factor productivity (TFP) increases with education, trade, and governance (ETG) and declines with distance to the G7 countries; (ii) increasing Latin America's ETG to East Asia's level would double TFP, accounting for about 75% of the TFP gap between the two country groups; and (iii) South America's greater remoteness relative to Mexico's from the US and Canada significantly reduces its TFP and similarly for Singapore's greater remoteness from Japan relative to Hong Kong.

Information

Type
Original Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The World Trade Organization
Figure 0

Table 1. Mean of key variables by region, 1976–2007 (Weighted average)

Figure 1

Table 2. Linear and non-linear estimation of log TFP, 1976–2007a,b

Figure 2

Table 3. Absolute and relative distance (in km)

Figure 3

Table 4. Impact on TFP of raising South America's and Mexico's Governance, Education and trade to east Asia's level (%)a

Figure 4

Table 5. South America's greater distance to the G7 relative to Mexico: impact on TFP (in %)a

Figure 5

Table 6. Singapore's greater distance to the G7 relative to Hong Kong: impact on TFP (in %)a