Anti-dumping Duties and their Impact on Exporters: Firm Level Evidence from China

Despite a dramatic rise in the instances of anti-dumping (AD) duties, their impact on the targeted firms is not clear. Using detailed firm level data we find robust evidence that the US AD duty led to over 12 (or five) percent decrease in labor productivity (or TFP) of targeted Chinese firms. We also find that firms with high initial export intensity experience both a higher decrease in exports (and total sales) and a bigger drop in productivity due to the US AD duties. Our results suggest reduced economies of scale as a possible mechanism for the drop in firm productivity.