Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
This paper introduces instrumental‐variable estimators for exponential‐regression models that feature two‐way fixed effects. These techniques allow us to develop a theory‐consistent approach to the estimation of cross‐sectional gravity equations that can accommodate the endogeneity of policy variables. We apply this approach to a dataset in which the policy decision of interest is the engagement in a free‐trade agreement. We explore ways to exploit the transitivity observed in the formation of trade agreements to construct instrumental variables with considerable predictive ability. Within a bilateral model, the use of these instruments has strong theoretical foundations. We obtain point estimates of the partial effect of a preferential‐trade agreement on trade volume that range between 20% and 30% and find no statistical evidence of endogeneity.