Technology Gaps, Trade, and Income

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2023
Volume: 113
Issue: 2
Pages: 472-513

Score contribution per author:

8.043 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

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

Abstract

This paper quantifies the contribution of technology gaps to international income inequality. I develop an endogenous growth model where cross-country differences in R&D efficiency and cross-industry differences in innovation and adoption opportunities together determine equilibrium technology gaps, trade patterns, and income inequality. Countries with higher R&D efficiency are richer and have comparative advantage in more innovation-dependent industries. I calibrate R&D efficiency by country and innovation dependence by industry using R&D, patent, and bilateral trade data. Counterfactual analysis implies technology gaps account for one-quarter to one-third of nominal wage variation within the OECD.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:113:y:2023:i:2:p:472-513
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-29