Retail Globalization and Household Welfare: Evidence from Mexico

S-Tier
Journal: Journal of Political Economy
Year: 2018
Volume: 126
Issue: 1
Pages: 1 - 73

Score contribution per author:

2.681 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

The arrival of global retail chains in developing countries is causing a radical transformation in the way households source their consumption. This paper draws on a rich collection of Mexican microdata to estimate the effect of foreign supermarket entry on household welfare and decomposes this effect into six channels. We find that foreign entry causes large welfare gains for the average household predominantly driven by a reduction in the cost of living--both through price reductions at domestic stores and through the direct consumer gains from foreign stores. These gains are, on average, positive for all income groups but are regressive.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jpolec:doi:10.1086/695476
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-24