Econ Papers Daily / 期刊论文
条条大路通罗马：全球航空连通性与双边贸易
All Roads Lead to Rome: Global Air Connectivity and Bilateral Trade
摘要
Using itinerary-level global air traffic data, this paper proposes a novel instrumental variable to estimate the effect of in-person interactions on bilateral trade. By exploiting exogenous variations in air connectivity that are driven by third-country connecting capacities, we show that increased air connections boost trade, especially for complex industries and new products. Online interactions appear to be a limited substitute for in-person contact. These findings confirm the role of in-person communications in reducing information-sharing barriers. Our estimation approach also provides a useful tool for evaluating the social and economic impacts of a complex transport network.
中文摘要
本文利用航线层面的全球航空交通数据，提出了一种新颖的工具变量，用以估计面对面交流对双边贸易的影响。通过利用由第三国中转能力驱动的航空连通性外生变化，我们发现航空联系的增加促进了贸易增长，尤其是在复杂行业和新产品领域。在线互动似乎难以有效替代面对面接触。这些发现证实了面对面交流在降低信息共享障碍方面的作用。我们的估计方法也为评估复杂交通网络的社会经济影响提供了有效工具。