A model of trade between creative regions in the presence of sector specific learning by doing

Abstract

We analyze a model of trade between two heterogeneous regions that are creative in the sense of Richard Florida. One region is larger than the other region in terms of its endowment of creative capital. Each region produces a single final good with inputs 1 and 2 that are traded. There is learning by doing only in the sector producing input 1. Our primary objective is to study the impacts of this sector specific learning by doing and trade on the economies of the two regions under consideration. Our analysis leads to two salient results. First, when a specific condition holds, the smaller region specializes completely in the production of input 1 but there is incomplete specialization in the larger region. In particular, at time t = 0, not all creative capital in the larger region is employed in sector 2 and there is some learning by doing in this larger region as well. Second, in the long run, the smaller region continues to specialize completely in the production of input 1 but the larger region specializes completely in the production of input 2.