How do trade and technological progress interact to generate economic growth and determine the spatial distribution of production? This is a question that lies at the heart of our understanding of globalization, with implications for the ongoing debate over the use of trade and industrial policy. This session brings together papers looking at the relationship between trade and technological progress in a wide set of industries, locations, and time periods. While they are drawn from a variety of empirical settings, the papers in this session are unified by their approach, which involves developing a deep understanding of specific industries. By bringing together detailed studies covering a diverse set of industries, this session can help illuminate common patterns that improve our understanding of the relationship between trade and technology.

The session consists of two slots of 90 minutes. In the first slot, we study the role of trade, technology adoption and organizational incentives on the rise and fall of competitors within an industry. We study this topic in the context of the Portuguese and Dutch merchant empires during the 16th and 17th centuries, US brewers during the late 19th century, North American shipbuilders during the late 19th century, and US carmakers in the early 20th century.

In the second slot, we study the interaction between trade, innovation and technology adoption within an industry. We study this topic in the context of global shipbuilding from the 15th century to the 20th century, US railroads during the late 19th century, the Japanese industrial sector during the late 19th century, the US sugar industry during the early 20th century, and US agriculture during the 20th century.