Asymmetric trade liberalization, sector heterogeneity and Innovation

Innovation, mark-ups and the degree of trade openness vary substantially across sectors. This paper builds a multi-sector endogenous growth model to study the influence that asymmetric trade liberalization and sectorial differences in the degree of product market competition has on the effect of trade openness on R&D investments at a firm level. I find that differences in the degree of competition generate large differences on firm innovative response to trade liberalization. A movement from autarky to free trade promotes innovation and productivity growth in those sectors which are initially less competitive. However, when the initial tariff level is common across sectors, a homogeneous tariff reduction promotes innovation in those sectors which are initially more competitive. The paper suggests that trade liberalization could be a source of industry productivity divergence: firms that are located in industries with greater exposure to foreign trade, invest a greater amount in R&D contributing to industry productivity growth. Finally the paper finds that these asymmetries generate important reallocative effects that contribute to enlarge these differences.Sectorial productivity; international trade; innovation.

Technology adoption and the selection effect of trade

The reallocation of output across plants and the productivity growth at individual plants are both important sources of productivity growth at the industry level. Recent evidence has shown that trade liberalization is related to both effects. While a trade model with firm heterogeneity can account for the first effect, it can not explain the second effect. We add to this model the option for firms to costly adopt more productive technologies and show that plant productivity actually rises in response to lower trade costs. Following trade liberalization, selection into exporting raises the market share only for some exporters. Therefore, a greater scale of operation amplifies their return from costly productivity-enhancement investments and leads a greater proportion of them to implement a more innovative technology

Trade liberalization, competition and growth

The aim of this paper is to understand whether international trade may enhance innovation and growth through an increase in competition. We develop a twocountry endogenous growth model, both countries producing the same set of goods, with firm specific R&D and a continuum of oligopolistic sectors under Cournot competition. Since countries produce the same set of goods, trade openness makes markets more competitive, reducing prices and raising the incentives to innovate. More general, a reduction on trade barriers enhances growth by reducing domestic firms`market power

TRADE LIBERALIZATION, COMPETITION AND GROWTH

The aim of this paper is to understand whether international trade may enhance innovation and growth through an increase in competition.We develop a two-country endogenous growth model, both countries producing the same set of goods, with firm specific R&D and a continuum of oligopolistic sectors under Cournot competition. Since countries produce the same set of goods, trade openness makes markets more competitive, reducing prices and raising the incentives to innovate. More general, a reduction on trade barriers enhances growth by reducing domestic firms'market power.Trade openess, competition and growth, R&D

Technology adoption and the selection effect of trade

The reallocation of output across plants and the productivity growth at individual plants are both important sources of productivity growth at the industry level. Recent evidence has shown that trade liberalization is related to both effects. While a trade model with firm heterogeneity can account for the first effect, it can not explain the second effect. We add to this model the option for firms to costly adopt more productive technologies and show that plant productivity actually rises in response to lower trade costs. Following trade liberalization, selection into exporting raises the market share only for some exporters. Therefore, a greater scale of operation amplifies their return from costly productivity-enhancement investments and leads a greater proportion of them to implement a more innovative technology.

Trade Liberalization, Competition and Growth

The aim of this paper is to understand whether international trade may enhance innovation and growth through an increase in competition. We develop a two-country endogenous growth model, both countries producing the same set of goods, with firm specific R&D and a continuum of oligopolistic sectors under Cournot competition. Since countries produce the same set of goods, trade openness makes markets more competitive, reducing prices and raising the incentives to innovate. More general, a reduction on trade barriers enhances growth by reducing domestic firms' market power.Trade openess, competition and growth, R&D

La recepción de las imágenes de sufrimiento y muerte en la sociedad del espectáculo y sus efectos morales

En este trabajo se indaga la recepción social de las imágenes de sufrimiento, muerte y dolor, tanto en el mundo de la información como en el más amplio de la comunicación, relacionándola con algunas características de la sociedad del espectáculo. Asimismo, se estudiará el impacto de los cambios inducidos por la revolución digital. Se pretende demostrar que los nuevos contextos de recepción pueden desvirtuar o modificar el carácter subversivo de esas imágenes, así como los efectos morales que solían acompañarlas en tiempos pasados, provocando transgresiones al derecho a la intimidad y a la propia imagen de las personas.In this work is investigated the social reception of images of suffering, death and pain as much within the information world as in the wider context of communication, relating it with some characteristics of the society of the spectacle. Likewise, we will study the impact of changes induced by the digital revolution. We intend to demonstrate that the new contexts of reception can distort or modify the subversive character of these images as well as the moral influences that used to accompany them in the past, bringing about transgressions to the right to privacy and the own image of people

Have kohlberg’s Classical Dilemmas come into effect in moral education today? A field study

Contextualizamos esta investigación en el marco general de la teoría de Kohlberg sobre el desarrollo del juicio y el razonamiento moral, así como en su aplicación a la educación. Seguidamente, tomamos los dilemas morales ficticios que utilizaron Kohlberg y sus discípulos para crear conflicto cognitivo entre los estudiantes y los pasamos a una muestra de 62 estudiantes universitarios. Este trabajo de campo nos ha permitido concluir que los dilemas clásicos de Kohlberg y colaboradores han perdido su carácter controvertido, pues eran culturalmente relativos. Por ello, no pueden utilizarse eficazmente en educación. Concluimos con unas propuestas para utilizar en el aula, de manera eficaz, dilemas morales reales, actuales y más cercanos a los adolescentes y jóvenes de hoy.The context of this research is set in the general picture of Kohlberg’s theories about the development of judgment and moral reasoning together with their application to education. We take the fictitious moral dilemmas that Kohlberg and his followers used to create mental conflict among the students and we test them with a sample of 62 university students. This field study led us to the conclusion that the classical dilemmas of Kohlberg and his collaborators have lost their controversial character since they were culturally relative. For this reason they cannot be used effectively in education. We conclude with some proposals which may be used effectively in the classroom. These are real moral dilemmas and are current and more in touch with adolescents and young people in today’s world.peerReviewe

Alberto Giacometti “a tientas”

This article explores the issue of the sense of touch in Alberto Giacometti´s work, under the slogan of deepening about the fundamental artistic sensibility, that characterizes every period of crisis. Although scarcely it has been indicated, Giacometti´s interest in recreating the sensation and the physical facts, it was kept throughout Giacometti´s artistic development. His attention to the hand, has a vital importance when Alberto proposes «return to work» from 1934, leaving aside the surrealistic experience.Este artículo aborda la cuestión del sentido del tacto en la obra de Alberto Giacometti, bajo la consigna de profundizar en este sentido artístico, como característica fundamental de toda época de crisis. Aunque apenas ha sido señalado, el interés de Giacometti por recrear la sensación y los hechos físicos, se mantuvo a lo largo de toda su trayectoria. Su atención a la mano, cobra vital importancia cuando Alberto se propone “volver al trabajo”, a partir de 1934, dejando de lado la experiencia surrealista

On Trade Openness, Institutional Change and Economic Growth

This paper explores the relationship between trade openness and economic growth through a change in institutions. To do so, the paper creates a theory of endogenous institutional change wherethere are three social groups, each one owns a specic production factor. An ellite (landowners) controlling the political power x higher taxes to extract rents from the other groups of the society(capitalists). This reduces investment in capital, the source for endogenous growth. Endogenous institutional change is done by allowing the rival group (capitalists) to invest in a military action which expels out the group in power. The model studies optimal taxation, growth and institutional change under two scenarios, autarky and free trade.We calibrate the model according to Western European experience on the XVIth century deriving that: First: Economies opened to trade will experiment higher growth and faster institutionalchange. Second: Economies specializing in manufacturing products tend to grow more and rise the institutional change earlier. These results are very robust to change in parameter values and it seems to t quite well with historical experience