Globalization and Inflation in Europe
46 Pages Posted: 6 Dec 2010
Date Written: December 2010
Abstract
What is the impact of import competition from other low-wage countries (LWCs) on inflationary pressure in Western Europe? This paper seeks to understand whether labor-intensive exports from emerging Europe, Asia, and other global regions have a uniform impact on producer prices in Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In a panel covering 110 (4-digit) NACE industries from 1995 to 2008, IV estimates predict that LWC import competition is associated with strong price effects. More specifically, when Chinese exporters capture 1% of European market share, producer prices decrease about 2%. In contrast, no effect is present for import competition from low-wage countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
Keywords: comparative advantage, globalization, intra-industry trade
JEL Classification: F11, F12, F14, F16, F40
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Andreas M. Fischer
Swiss National Bank ( email )
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