Companies can now “print” some products locally, obviating the need for trade. But for hearing aids, the economic shakeup has turned out different thus far. Caroline Freund and Michele Ruta (World Bank) join to discuss their new research examining the many ways the introduction of a transformative technology impacted global trade and consumer access to one important 3D-printed product.

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• Freund, Caroline, Alen Mulabdic and Michele Ruta. 2019. Is 3D Printing a Threat to Global Trade? The Trade Effects You Didn’t Hear About, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No 9024.
• Freund, Caroline, Alen Mulabdic and Michele Ruta. 2019. Trade effects of 3D printing (that you didn’t hear about). VoxEU.org, 28 October.