Trade Costs in the First Wave of Globalization

36 Pages Posted: 20 Oct 2006 Last revised: 9 Dec 2022

See all articles by David S. Jacks

David S. Jacks

National University of Singapore (NUS), Department of Economics

Christopher M. Meissner

University of Cambridge - Faculty of Economics and Politics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Dennis Novy

University of Warwick - Department of Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); Centre for Economic Performance (CEP); CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Date Written: October 2006

Abstract

What drives globalization today and in the past? We employ a new micro-founded measure of bilateral trade costs based on a standard model of trade in differentiated goods to address this question. These trade costs gauge the difference between observed bilateral trade and frictionless trade. They comprise tariffs, transportation costs and all other factors that impede international trade but which are inherently difficult to observe. Trade costs fell on average by ten to fifteen percent between 1870 and 1913. We also use this measure to decompose the growth of global trade over that period and find that roughly 44 percent of the global trade boom can be explained by reductions in trade costs; the remaining 56 percent is attributable to economic expansion.

Suggested Citation

Jacks, David S. and Meissner, Christopher M. and Novy, Dennis, Trade Costs in the First Wave of Globalization (October 2006). NBER Working Paper No. w12602, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=937303

David S. Jacks

National University of Singapore (NUS), Department of Economics ( email )

Singapore
Singapore

Christopher M. Meissner (Contact Author)

University of Cambridge - Faculty of Economics and Politics ( email )

Austin Robinson Building
Sidgwick Avenue
Cambridge, CB3 9DD
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://www.econ.cam.ac.uk/faculty/meissner/index.htm

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Dennis Novy

University of Warwick - Department of Economics ( email )

Coventry CV4 7AL
United Kingdom
+44 (0) 2476150046 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/faculty/novy/

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) ( email )

London
United Kingdom

Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) ( email )

Houghton Street
London WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

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