We examine how the adoption of information communication technology affects bilateral trade. The context is a public program in Norway that rolled out broadband access points leading to plausibly exogenous variation in the availability and adoption of broadband by firms. We find that broadband makes trade patterns more sensitive to distance and economic size. These results are consistent with a model of trade with variable elasticity of demand. The model predicts that adoption of a technology that lowers information frictions enlarges the choice set of exporters and importers. This makes demand more elastic with respect to trade costs and thus distance. (JEL D83, F14, L86, O33)

中文翻译：

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信息摩擦、互联网以及距离与贸易的关系

我们研究了信息通信技术的采用如何影响双边贸易。背景是挪威的一项公共计划，该计划推出了宽带接入点，导致公司在宽带的可用性和采用方面存在合理的外生变化。我们发现宽带使贸易模式对距离和经济规模更加敏感。这些结果与具有可变需求弹性的贸易模型一致。该模型预测，采用降低信息摩擦的技术会扩大出口商和进口商的选择范围。这使得需求在贸易成本和距离方面更具弹性。(JEL D83, F14, L86, O33)