José de Sousa attended the SMU-NUS-Paris Joint Trade Workshop (Merlion 2018 Workshop) on July 17 2016, in SIngapore. He presented his paper “Market Integration and Convergence in Consumption Patterns” (with Thierry Mayer and Eve Sihra).
Abstract:
This paper explores the evolution of cultural distances across French departements in a context of deep market integration. Using household survey data on food consumption in France from 1974 to 2005, we find that (1) France is characterized by strong localized tastes in food consumption, which (2) converge over time, and (3) not only due to changes in price and income. In short, France becomes “shorter”,culturally more homogenized.