Essays on Networks, Volatility, and Trade

Abstract

This is a collection of essays on networks, volatility and trade, based on confidential micro- data on manufacturing, trade, and input-output networks in Canada. I have chosen methods and data to support or challenge arguments around these subjects, and aim to show how ownership, production, and trading networks affect firm characteristics, and how, in turn, those firm characteristics affect aggregate volatility. These essays represent my contribution to the study of networks, volatility and trade in Canada. I show that firm input-output networks matter most for the firm size distribution and aggregate volatility; that firm ownership matters for volatility; that firm size distributions aren’t always distributed like a power law; and that there are barriers to domestic trade.