An Essay on Intra-Industry Trade in Intermediate Goods

Abstract

This paper contributes to the debate on the effects of international fragmentation on two-way trade in several ways. Firstly, it is the first study on determinants of horizontal and vertical intra-industry trade in intermediate goods with regard to Italy. Secondly, it studies if and how country-specific factors affect intra-industry trade in intermediate goods when heterogeneity among sectors is allowed. The topic is very important for its policy implications. As is known, the early literature distinguishing vertical from horizontal intra-industry trade is especially concerned that their determinants are not the same, and that an expansion in two-way trade might have different adjustment implications depending on its nature. In the case of input trade, the same motivation applies (since intermediates are a subset of total goods traded) but to a greater extent. The analysis, on the one hand has produced results that support the theoretical hypotheses, on the other hand has confirmed the relevance of considering intersectoral heterogeneity in analyzing determinants of intra-industry trade in intermediate goods.