How migrants' food tastes shape international agro-food trade. Issue 5 (12th March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kohler, Andreas; Wunderlich, Anne
• Is Part Of: Applied economics letters. Volume 29:Issue 5(2022)
• Page Start: 469
• Page End: 476
• Publication Date: 2022-03-12
• Subjects: Preferences -- international trade -- migration -- food; F1; Economics -- Periodicals; Economics, Mathematical -- Periodicals; 330
• DOI: 10.1080/13504851.2021.1912695
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1350-4851

Abstract

ABSTRACT: We identify and quantify the effect of food tastes on international trade flows. Based on a novel data set including all ingredients in the national dishes of 171 countries, we construct a measure for similarity in food tastes between countries. We identify the effect of tastes on bilateral food trade flows by exploiting that migrants' tastes differ from the tastes of their host country. Our results show that the effect of migration on trade decreases the more similar tastes are between a migrant's country of origin and her host country. Thus, we can show that tastes do matter for international trade flows, and are able to quantify their effect.