Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP9985
Authors: Paulo Bastos; Joana Silva; Eric Verhoogen
Abstract: This paper examines the extent to which the destination of exports matters for the input prices paid by firms, using detailed customs and firm-product-level data from Portugal. We use exchange-rate movements as a source of variation in export destinations and find that exporting to richer countries leads firms to charge more for outputs and pay higher prices for inputs, other things equal. The results are supportive of the hypothesis that an exogenous increase in average destination income leads firms to raise the average quality of goods they produce and to purchase higher-quality inputs.
Keywords: inputs; international trade; portugal; prices; product quality
JEL Codes: F1; L1; O1
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| average destination income (E25) | output prices (L11) |
| average destination income (E25) | input prices (E30) |