The paper provides empirical estimates for import and revenue implications that would follow implementation of the planned customs union between the East African Community member states Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. We use 2002 trade and trade policy data for the three countries to simulate the...

Motivated by the new auction format introduced in the England and Wales electricity market, as well as the recent debate in California, we characterize bidding behavior and market outcomes in uniform and discriminatory electricity auctions. We find that uniform auctions result in higher average...

This paper assesses the challenges confronting developing countries in APEC in their reform and modernisation of standards systems and related infrastructure. Vietnam and Thailand are examined as case studies. In both cases the move to internationalise standards and the quality of services...

In this paper we investigate the factors contributing to the fall in the Lerner Index (price-cost margin) in the British electricity market during the 90s. A first stage of our analysis models the number of breaks in the Lerner Index and their dating as unknowns. Our results suggest the...

A variety of proposals for creating more competition within the railroad sector and in the broader freight transport sector are under consideration in countries throughout the world. Brazil, though something of a latecomer to wider infrastructure reform, has recently taken large steps in...

This paper investigates the extent of per-capita income convergence in regional integration initiatives. Panel unit root testing is performed on 28 regional groupings. There is evidence of convergence in South- South integration, but this might be taking place to the bottom.

East Asian nations are currently undertaking the future development of an economic community by creating a viable framework for closer cooperation and deeper integration. However, the intractable problem is that there are a lot of diversities and heterogeneity that have prevented the East Asian...

Increasingly, in regional agreements, large economies, e.g. U.S. and E.U., offer lower trade barriers in exchange for cooperation by small economies in environmental, intellectual property and other issues. What is the effect of such agreements on multilateral trade liberalization? We show that,...

DEVELOPMENT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CHALLENGE FACING THE HUMAN RACE BUT THE PROCESSES DRIVING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ARE BY NO MEANS FULLY UNDERSTOOD. HOWEVER, THE CORE CHALLENGE FOR DEVELOPMENT IS TO ENSURE PRODUCTIVE WORK AND A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD. THIS CHALLENGE...

The international goal for rich countries to devote 0.7% of their national income to development assistance has become a cause célèbre for aid activists and has been accepted in many official quarters as the legitimate target for aid budgets. The origins of the target, however, raise serious...