Pricing to firm: an analysis of firm- and product-level import prices

TitlePricing to firm: an analysis of firm- and product-level import prices
Publication TypeJournal Article
AuthorsHalpern, L., and M. Koren
Journal titleReview of International Economics
Year2007
Pages574 - 591
Volume15
Issue3
Abstract

We use Hungarian Customs data on product-level imports of manufacturing firms to document that the import price of a particular product varies substantially across buying firms. We relate the level of import prices to firm characteristics such as size, foreign ownership, and market power. We develop a theory of “pricing to firm” (PTF), where markups depend on the technology and competitive environment of the buyer. The predictions of the model are confirmed by the data: import prices are higher for firms with greater market power, and for more essential intermediate inputs (with a high share in material costs). We take account of the endogeneity of the buyer’s market power with respect to higher import prices and unobserved cost heterogeneity within product categories. The magnitude of PTF is big: the standard deviation of price predicted by PTF is 21.5%.

Languageeng
Notes

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Unit: 
Department of Economics and Business