Consumer-benefiting transport cost: The role of product innovation in a vertical structure
Consumer-benefiting transport cost: The role of product innovation in a vertical structure
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发表时间：
2020-09
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通讯作者：
Kazuhiro Takauchi;Tomomichi Mizuno
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作者：
Kazuhiro Takauchi;Tomomichi Mizuno
我们研究运输成本降低对公司产品创新活动和消费者福利的影响。企业从事产品研发以提高产品差异化程度，从独家供应商那里购买中间投入，并将其产品出口到国外市场，并支付单位运输成本。贸易理论通常认为零运输成本可以使消费者剩余最大化。与这一标准信念相反，我们表明，正的运输成本可以使消费者剩余最大化。我们还考虑了研发的更一般影响，并表明即使在这种情况下我们的主要结果仍然成立。
We study the effects of a reduction of transport cost on the firm's activity of product innovation and on consumer welfare. Firms engage in product R&D that increases the degree of product differentiation, purchase intermediate inputs from an exclusive supplier, and export their products to the foreign market paying a per-unit transport cost. Trade theory commonly asserts that zero transport cost maximizes consumer surplus. Contrary to this standard belief, we show that a positive transport cost can maximize consumer surplus. We also consider more general effects of R&D and show that our main results hold even in such case.