Abstract
Cultural proximity may influence bilateral imports through a preference and a trade-cost channel. In empirical gravity models, conventional measures such as common language or religion fail to separately identify those channels. We use bilateral score data from the Eurovision Song Contest, a very popular pan-European television show, to construct a measure of cultural proximity which varies over time and within country pairs, and that correlates strongly with conventional indicators. Its statistical properties allow to identify the trade cost and preference channels. For trade in differentiated goods, we find evidence for both channels, with the latter accounting for at least 65% of the total effect. There is no preference effect for homogeneous goods.
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