Record Details

Replication Data for: Trade Competition and Worker Compensation: Why Do Some Receive More than Others?

Harvard Dataverse (Africa Rice Center, Bioversity International, CCAFS, CIAT, IFPRI, IRRI and WorldFish)

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Title Replication Data for: Trade Competition and Worker Compensation: Why Do Some Receive More than Others?
 
Identifier https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/ODPYMD
 
Creator Kim, Sung Eun
Pelc, Krzysztof J
 
Publisher Harvard Dataverse
 
Description Dealing with the distributional consequences of trade liberalization has become one of the key challenges facing developed democracies. Governments have created compensation programs to ease labor market adjustment, but these resources tend to be distributed highly unevenly. What accounts for the variation? Looking at the largest trade adjustment program in existence, the US’ Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), we argue that petitions for compensation are largely driven by legislative attitudes. When legislators express negative views of TAA, individuals in their districts become less likely to petition for, and receive, compensation. This effect is especially pronounced in Republican districts. An underprovision of TAA, in turn, renders individuals more likely to demand other forms of government support, like in-kind medical benefits. We use roll-call votes, bill sponsorships, and floor speeches to measure elite attitudes, and we proxy for the demand for trade adjustment using economic shocks from Chinese import competition. In sum, we show how the individual beliefs of political elites can be self-fulfilling.
 
Subject Social Sciences
Trade Liberalization, Developed Democracies, Compensation, Trade Adjustment Program, Elite Attitudes
 
Contributor Prins, Brandon