The last decade has witnessed an explosion in the number of regional trade agreements (RTAs). There seems to be a general, if ill-defined, belief on the part of many policy-makers, and among some academics as well, that there is more to an RTA then the traditional gains from trade. This paper...

This paper constructs a simple model of the steel sector in Europe distinguishing eight West and two East European regions. It models the production of steel and also the various trade restrictions extant in 1992. It uses this model first to calculate the output and welfare effects of...

We present a simple computable model of EC footwear production and trade coupled with a rudimentary production model for Eastern Europe. We simulate the liberalization of EC footwear imports from Eastern Europe as planned under the so-called Europe Agreements. We find that if Eastern Europe can...

In the frames of the classic centrum–periphery concept, East-Central Europe has always been regarded as a semi-periphery of core Europe. Thus, catching up with more developed European countries has remained a topical issue throughout the region’s last 200 years. If we take a closer look at...

The phenomenon of depopulation was observed in the last two decades in regions of East-Central Europe where the economy had previously relied upon natural resource extraction throughout the socialist period. The restructuring of traditional branches of industry, such as mining and metallurgy,...

Pickles J. and Smith A. Delocalization and persistence in the European clothing industry: the reconfiguration of trade and production networks, Regional Studies. This paper examines processes of delocalization and the phenomenon of the 'spectre of China' in the European clothing industry...