This paper revisits the Heckscher-Ohlin-Vanek (HOV) theorem and investigates its fit for digital tasks and ICT capital, which both represent endowment factors that are expected to shape the digital transformation. We use a theory-consistent methodology for calculating the measured net factor content of trade and apply it to a unique dataset on digital and non-digital tasks performed in detailed occupations, as well as recent data on ICT capital stocks. Equipped with these data, we provide new evidence on the factor-based trade patterns for 25 EU countries and use it to test the HOV theorem. Overall, the performance of the sign test and the rank test is good, if not impressive. In 83% of the cases, countries are net exporters of those factors with which they are abundantly endowed, with a higher score achieved for digital tasks than for ICT capital. The relevance of digital tasks and ICT capital is corroborated by a gravity model, which indicates that higher endowments with these factors foster bilateral exports.

本文重新审视了 Heckscher-Ohlin-Vanek (HOV) 定理，并研究了其对数字任务和 ICT 资本的适用性，这两者都代表了有望塑造数字化转型的禀赋因素。我们使用理论一致的方法来计算测得的贸易净要素含量，并将其应用于详细职业中执行的数字和非数字任务的独特数据集，以及 ICT 资本存量的最新数据。有了这些数据，我们就 25 个欧盟国家基于要素的贸易模式提供了新的证据，并用它来检验 HOV 定理。总体而言，符号测试和排名测试的性能即使不令人印象深刻，也很好。在 83% 的情况下，国家是其拥有丰富要素的净出口国，数字任务的得分高于 ICT 资本的得分。