Tariff Rates, Offshoring and Productivity: Evidence from German and Austrian Firm-Level Data

Hansen, Thorsten (April 2010): Tariff Rates, Offshoring and Productivity: Evidence from German and Austrian Firm-Level Data. SFB/TR 15 Discussion Paper No. 316

Abstract

This paper studies the impact of trade liberalization in terms of tariff cuts within the Eastern European enlargement on German and Austrian firm productivity. Unique matching of data from 1994 to 2003 suggests that tariff reductions raise parent firm productivity significantly. A ten percentage point decrease in tariff rates can lead to total factor productivity gains of up to 2 percent. The data allow distinction between three types of tariffs: output, intra-firm and input tariff rates. The size of the results strongly depends on the type of tariff and country analyzed.

• Item Type: Paper
• Faculties: Special Research Fields > Discussion Paper Series of SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems; Special Research Fields > Discussion Paper Series of SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems > B7 - Globalisierung und der Anstieg der Vorstandsbezüge; Economics; Economics > Chairs > Chair of International Economics
• Subjects: 300 Social sciences > 330 Economics
• Language: English