摘要：This paper develops a model of trade that features heterogeneous firms,
technology choice and different types of skilled labor in a general equilibrium
framework. Its main contribution is to explain the impact of trade integration
on technology adoption and wage inequalities. It also provides empirical
evidence to support the model’s predictions using plant-level panel data from
Chile’s manufacturing sector (1990-1999). The theoretical framework offers a
possible explanation of the puzzling increase in skill premium in the developing
countries. The key mechanism is found in the effects of trade policy on the
number of new firms upgrading technology and on the skill-intensity of labor.
Trade liberalization pushes up export revenues, raising the probability that the
most productive exporters will upgrade their technology. These firms then
increase their relative demand for skilled labor, thereby raising inequalities.
