Beefing Up the Service Sector: Commodity Exports to China and Production Network Spillover
Organized by the Private Sector Development Research Network
Hosted by the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development
Moderated by Tiago Martinho, Executive Director, Wheeler Institute for Business and Development
Friday, March 14th, 2025 from 9-10am EST / 2-3 pm UK time
LINK TO REGISTER WILL BE AVAILABLE HERE SOON
ABOUT THE SEMINAR
This seminar will present a study exploring the global phenomenon of increased commodity exports to China, with a specific focus on Uruguay’s rapidly growing beef exports. The researchers have integrated various data sources, including customs data, tax records, and employer-employee information, to analyze the impact of this trade surge on Uruguay’s economy.
The presentation will detail the methodology used to identify effects on the production network by examining buyer-supplier linkages and changes in beef exporters’ trade with China over time. Attendees will learn about the study’s findings, which reveal a significant increase in sales for suppliers to beef exporters, particularly smaller suppliers and those in the service sector. The seminar will also cover the observed impacts on suppliers’ employment, wages, and productivity across different industries.
A key component of the presentation will be the introduction of a general equilibrium model of production networks developed by the authors. The researchers will demonstrate how this model can be used to analyze the aggregate impact of surging beef exports on the economy, breaking down the effects into direct, indirect, and network adjustment components within the agricultural, manufacturing, and service sectors.
This seminar promises to provide valuable insights into the far-reaching economic consequences of increased commodity exports to China, using Uruguay’s beef industry as a compelling case study. The research offers a comprehensive look at how international trade dynamics can ripple through an entire economy, affecting various sectors and businesses of different sizes. The authors’ findings contribute significantly to our understanding of the complex interplay between global trade patterns and domestic economic structures.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Giorgio Chiovelli
Associate Professor, Department of Economics and Business, Universidad de Montevideo
Dr. Giorgio Chiovelli is an Associate Professor of Economics at Universidad de Montevideo, a position he has held since 2023. He obtained his Ph.D. in Economics from the Università di Bologna in 2015. Before his current role, Dr. Chiovelli served as an Assistant Professor at Universidad de Montevideo from 2019 to 2023 and as a Research Fellow at the London Business School from 2015 to 2019. His research focuses on Development, Political Economy, and Economic History. Dr. Chiovelli’s work has been published in leading journals including American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, and the Journal of the European Economic Association. His studies often explore the interplay between economic development, political institutions, and historical factors, with a particular emphasis on Africa and Latin America. As co-director of the MONT² Econ Lab and co-organizer of RIDGE’s Workshop Towards Sustained Growth, Dr. Chiovelli actively contributes to advancing economic research and fostering academic collaboration in the region.
Details of Dr. Chiovelli’s work can be found here.