Technology Trade, Productivity and Growth

Abstract

International trade is a major channel for technology diffusion. However regressing trade in R&D intensive goods to evaluate the effect of technology imports on productivity in a cross section of countries may be misleading because of simultaneity bias. I identify the effect of technology trade on productivity using geographical instruments for the trade variable as in Frankel and Romer (1999). I make several contributions. First, I provide evidence that OLS estimates are downward biased. Second, the effect is robust to the exclusion of outliers, the inclusion of latitude, and to different subsamples. Finally, I document the channels throughout technology imports affect productivity.Growth, Technology Diffusion, Instrumental Variables, R&D Spillovers, Capital Goods.