Essays on Firm Dynamics in International Trade

This thesis explores how firms in Vietnam respond to industrial policy, foreign direct investment, and trade shocks within the context of international trade. Chapter 1 evaluates the impact of targeted policy support on input producers. Chapter 2 examines how downstream FDI affects upstream industry performance through inter-firm linkages. Chapter 3 investigates how trade shocks influence firm behaviour and, consequently, local institutional quality. Unified by the theme of firm responses to state interventions and global forces, the thesis provides an integrated view of how firm dynamics, industrial policy, and external shocks interact to shape industrial development in a developing economy.