An Alloy of Steel and ICT: Does It Facilitate Trade?

The advances in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) over the last 20 years, particularly proliferation of the Internet, fixed-telephones, and mobile phones, have significantly reshaped the way modern firms do their business. The economic literature suggests that ICT could be a potential trade enabler, given its ability to reduce costs of search and communication between trade partners. This research intends to examine whether ICT affects countries¿ capabilities to export steel and its articles. To estimate the impacts of the Internet, mobile phones, and fixed-telephones on bilateral trade flows in the steel industry, I apply various gravity model specifications, including those capturing multilateral resistance terms. Three different panels for total exports, exports of steel, and exports of articles of steel were analyzed over the period 2001-2012. The study reveals a positive influence of the Internet and mobile phones on exports of steel and its articles. Moreover, network effects of the Internet are observed in articles of steel. In addition, this study reviews the history and current state of the steel industry and reports a firm-level case study.