Staggered Difference-in-Differences in Gravity Settings: Revisiting the Effects of Trade Agreements

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
Year: 2025
Volume: 17
Issue: 1
Pages: 271-96

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

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

Abstract

We nest an extended two-way fixed effect (ETWFE) estimator for staggered difference-in-differences within the structural gravity model. To test the ETWFE, we estimate the effects of regional trade agreements (RTAs). The results suggest that RTA estimates in the current gravity literature may be biased downward (by more than 50 percent in our sample). Sensitivity analyses confirm the robustness of our main findings and demonstrate the applicability of our methods across settings. We expect the ETWFE methods to have significant implications for estimates of other policy variables in the trade literature and for gravity regressions on migration and foreign direct investment.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejapp:v:17:y:2025:i:1:p:271-96
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-26