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Product and country substitution in imports: An empirical comparison of theoretical concepts

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Abstract

Product and Country Substitution in Imports: An Empirical Comparison of Theoretical Concepts. — The paper focuses on the shortcomings of current unit-values based measures for estimating product and country substitution in imports. The results of the bilateral index number technique in measuring changes in the country composition or product mix of imports were found to be inadequate, which was shown in an analysis of data on the French import market for chairs. An improved technique is briefly summarized, and its applicability compared with the bilateral index number technique. The new method performed accurately and provided a reliable basis for a refined analysis of changes within import markets.

Zusammenfassung

Substitution von Produkten und Herkunftsländern bei Importen. Ein empirischer Vergleich theoretischer Konzepte. — Die Verfasser konzentrieren sich auf die Mängel der auf Importeinheitswerten basierenden Maße, mit denen die Substitution von Produkten und Herkunftsländern im Falle von Importen ermittelt werden soll. Die Ergebnisse der Technik, bilaterale Indexwerte bei der Messung von Veränderungen in der Zusammensetzung der Herkunftsländer oder Importgüter zu benutzen, erwiesen sich als unzulänglich, wie sich bei der Analyse von Daten über die französischen Importe von Stühlen zeigte. In dem Aufsatz wird eine verbesserte Technik kurz skizziert und deren Anwendbarkeit mit der Technik bilateraler Indexwerte verglichen. Das neue Verfahren bewährte sich und lieferte eine verläßliche Grundlage für eine verfeinerte Analyse von Veränderungen auf den Importmärkten.

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Menzler-Hokkanen, I., Langhammer, R.J. Product and country substitution in imports: An empirical comparison of theoretical concepts. Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv 130, 309–328 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02707712

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