Working Paper: NBER ID: w16717
Authors: Nicholas Bloom; Mirko Draca; John Van Reenen
Abstract: We examine the impact of Chinese import competition on patenting, IT, R&D and TFP using a panel of up to half a million firms over 1996-2007 across twelve European countries. We correct for endogeneity using the removal of product-specific quotas following China's entry into the World Trade Organization. Chinese import competition had two effects: first, it led to increases in R&D, patenting, IT and TFP within firms; and second it reallocated employment between firms towards more innovative and technologically advanced firms. These within and between effects were about equal in magnitude, and appear to account for around 15% of European technology upgrading between 2000-2007. Rising Chinese import competition also led to falls in employment, profits, prices and the skill share. By contrast, import competition from developed countries had no effect on innovation. We develop a simple "trapped factor" model of innovation that is consistent with these empirical findings.
Keywords: Chinese imports; innovation; patenting; R&D; productivity
JEL Codes: F14; L25; L60; O33
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Chinese trade (F19) | faster technical change (O39) |
| Chinese import penetration (F14) | patenting (O34) |
| Chinese import competition (F14) | R&D expenditure (O32) |
| Chinese import competition (F14) | IT intensity (L86) |
| Chinese import competition (F14) | R&D (O32) |
| Chinese import competition (F14) | total factor productivity (TFP) (D24) |