摘要：We estimate a simultaneous bivariate qualitative choice model of Arizona agribusiness firms'propensity to trade and visit as a tourist with the cross-border state of Sonora, Mexico. The tradeequation is estimated as an ordered probit model with responses of:: 1) a firm has not ever tradedor investigated doing any trading activities with Sonora, 2) the firm has not done any trade withSonora but they have investigated doing business in this cross-border state, and 3) the firm hastraded with Sonora, either directly or through a second handler like a broker. A proprietor'spropensity to visit Sonora as a tourist is modeled from the binary response of whether theindividual has ever visited Sonora as a tourist or not. Simultaneity arises since both trade andtourist visits are hypothesized to influence one another. Results indicate that tourist visits have agreater influence on whether firms trade than traditional variables considered like firm age andsize. Venture business visits, quantified through the tourism equation, were also found to have agreater impact on an agribusiness firm's propensity to trade than traditional variables. Our resultssuggest that communities seeking to develop and expand cross-border trading activities shouldtarget entrepreneurs with an exploratory and venture spirit first. Then, target firms that are fairlyestablished (over 15 years in age) and desire to diversity their production risk through multiplegeographic production regions. Firm size and foreign language fluency of the agribusiness ownerwere found to be less significant than tourist visits, venture business visits, and firm age.
