Firms in International Trade

摘要

In discussing the origins and implications of international trade, economists usually emphasize comparative advantage, increasing returns to scale, and consumer love of variety, but pay relatively little attention to the firms that actually drive trade flows. Yet engaging in international trade is an exceedingly rare activity: of the 5.5 million firms operating in the United States in 2000, just 4 percent were exporters. Among these exporting firms, the top 10 percent accounted for 96 percent of total U.S. exports.