← Search

Consistency Tests of Alternative Measures of Comparative Advantage

Robert H. Ballance; Helmut Forstner; Tracy Murray

The Review of Economics and Statistics 1987

The commodity pattern of comparative advantage across countries is a central concept in international trade theory. Since the concept is based upon autarkic prices which are not observable in post-trade equilibria, its use in empirical research is most difficult. The literature reports numerous alternative indices that purport to comparative advantage. This paper examines the extent to which various measures are consistent using a large sample of trade flows. The results have important implication for judging empirical studies based upon particular choices of a measure for comparative advantage.

DOI
10.2307/1937915
Volume
69 (1)
Pages
157
Export
BibTeX
Sources
crossref openalex