Information Frictions, Internet, and the Relationship between Distance and Trade
- (pp. 133-63)
Abstract
We examine how the adoption of information communication technology affects bilateral trade. The context is a public program in Norway that rolled out broadband access points leading to plausibly exogenous variation in the availability and adoption of broadband by firms. We find that broadband makes trade patterns more sensitive to distance and economic size. These results are consistent with a model of trade with variable elasticity of demand. The model predicts that adoption of a technology that lowers information frictions enlarges the choice set of exporters and importers. This makes demand more elastic with respect to trade costs and thus distance.Citation
Akerman, Anders, Edwin Leuven, and Magne Mogstad. 2022. "Information Frictions, Internet, and the Relationship between Distance and Trade." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 14 (1): 133-63. DOI: 10.1257/app.20190589Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D83 Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
- F14 Empirical Studies of Trade
- L86 Information and Internet Services; Computer Software
- O33 Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
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