Using the gravity equation to explain the portuguese immigration-trade link

• Autor(a) principal: Faustino, Horácio C.
• Data de Publicação: 2008
• Outros Autores: Leitão, Nuno Carlos
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/2337
• topic: Intra-Industry Trade; Immigration; Gravity Model; Panel Data

This paper tests the relation between immigration and Portuguese bilateral trade. Using a panel data analysis, the results show that the stock of immigrants has a positive effect on Portuguese exports, imports and bilateral intra-industry trade. The underlying assumption is that immigration contributes to decrease the costs of transactions, which in turn promotes trade flows. The results do not confirm the hypothesis of a negative effect of immigration on Portuguese exports. Our findings suggest that when immigrants to Portugal come from a Latin partner-country, the effects on trade are stronger than in the case of immigrants from non-Latin countries. The study is based on an extended gravitational model, in order to incorporate the qualitative factors as control variables.