Report on the State of Available Data for the Study of International Trade and Foreign Direct Investment

38 Pages Posted: 10 Aug 2010 Last revised: 1 Jun 2023

See all articles by Robert C. Feenstra

Robert C. Feenstra

University of California, Davis - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Robert E. Lipsey

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) at New York (Deceased)

Lee Branstetter

Carnegie Mellon University - H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

C. Fritz Foley

Harvard University - Business School (HBS); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

James Harrigan

University of Virginia - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

J. Bradford Jensen

Georgetown University - McDonough School of Business; Peterson Institute for International Economics

Lori G. Kletzer

University of California at Santa Cruz

Catherine L. Mann

Brandeis University

Peter K. Schott

Yale University - School of Management; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Yale University - Cowles Foundation

Greg C Wright

University of California, Merced

Date Written: August 2010

Abstract

This report, prepared for the Committee on Economic Statistics of the American Economic Association, examines the state of available data for the study of international trade and foreign direct investment. Data on values of imports and exports of goods are of high quality and coverage, but price data suffer from insufficient detail. It would be desirable to have more data measuring value-added in trade as well as prices of comparable domestic and imported inputs. Value data for imports and exports of services are too aggregated and valuations are questionable, while price data for service exports and imports are almost non-existent. Foreign direct investment data are of high quality but quality has suffered from budget cuts. Data on trade in intellectual property are fragmentary. The intangibility of the trade makes measurement difficult, but budget cuts have added to the difficulties. Modest funding increases would result in data more useful for research and policy analysis.

Suggested Citation

Feenstra, Robert C. and Lipsey, Robert E. and Branstetter, Lee and Foley, C. Fritz and Harrigan, James and Jensen, J. Bradford and Kletzer, Lori G. and Mann, Catherine L. and Schott, Peter K. and Wright, Greg C, Report on the State of Available Data for the Study of International Trade and Foreign Direct Investment (August 2010). NBER Working Paper No. w16254, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1654786

Robert C. Feenstra (Contact Author)

University of California, Davis - Department of Economics ( email )

One Shields Drive
Davis, CA 95616-8578
United States
916-752-9240 (Phone)
916-752-9382 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Robert E. Lipsey

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) at New York (Deceased)

Lee Branstetter

Carnegie Mellon University - H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management ( email )

Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

C. Fritz Foley

Harvard University - Business School (HBS) ( email )

Soldiers Field Road
Morgan 270C
Boston, MA 02163
United States
617-495-6375 (Phone)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

James Harrigan

University of Virginia - Department of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 400182
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4182
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

J. Bradford Jensen

Georgetown University - McDonough School of Business ( email )

3700 O Street, NW
Washington, DC 20057
United States

Peterson Institute for International Economics ( email )

1750 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
United States

Lori G. Kletzer

University of California at Santa Cruz ( email )

1156 High St., Social Sciences I
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
United States
831-459-3596 (Phone)
831-459-5900 (Fax)

Catherine L. Mann

Brandeis University ( email )

Waltham, MA
United States
978-505-8861 (Phone)

Peter K. Schott

Yale University - School of Management ( email )

135 Prospect Street
P.O. Box 208200
New Haven, CT 06520-8200
United States
203-436-4260 (Phone)
203-436-6974 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.som.yale.edu/faculty/pks4

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Yale University - Cowles Foundation

Box 208281
New Haven, CT 06520-8281
United States

Greg C Wright

University of California, Merced ( email )

P.O. Box 2039
Merced, CA 95344
United States

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