The Linear Algebra of Economic Geography Models

Working Paper: NBER ID: w31465

Authors: Benny Kleinman; Ernest Liu; Stephen J. Redding

Abstract: We provide sufficient statistics for nominal and real wage exposure to productivity shocks in a constant elasticity economic geography model. These exposure measures summarize the first-order general equilibrium elasticity of nominal and real wages in each location with respect to productivity shocks in all locations. They are readily computed using commonly-available trade data and the values of trade and migration elasticities. They have an intuitive interpretation in terms of underlying economic mechanisms. Computing these measures for all bilateral pairs of locations involves a single matrix inversion and therefore remains computational efficient even with an extremely high-dimensional state space. These sufficient statistics provide theory-consistent measures of locations’ exposure to productivity shocks for use in further economic and statistical analysis.

Keywords: No keywords provided

JEL Codes: F10; F15; R12


Causal Claims Network Graph

Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.


Causal Claims

CauseEffect
productivity shocks (O49)nominal wages (J31)
productivity shocks (O49)real wages (J31)
productivity shocks (O49)population shares (J11)
location A productivity shocks (J69)location B wages (J39)
location A productivity shocks (J69)location B population shares (R23)

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