In previous papers the authors have argued that aid is likely to mitigate the negative effects of external shocks on economic growth (i.e. that aid is more effective in countries which are more vulnerable to external shocks). Recently an important debate has emerged about the possible negative...

Compared to most countries, China’s value-added tax (VAT) system is not neutral and makes it less advantageous to export a product than to sell it domestically, as export - ers may not receive a complete refund on the domestic VAT they have paid on their inputs. However, the large and frequent...

This article provides evidence that patent protection can have a positive effect on trade, by analysing the impact of the implementation of intellectual property rights (IPR) in developing countries on the US exports of pharmaceutical products, following intense lobbying efforts from the US...

During the last decade, the Chinese government has frequently changed the value added tax (VAT) refund levels offered to exporters. Indeed, China’s VAT system is not neutral, in particular because the exporters may not receive complete refund of the domestic VAT paid on their inputs. This...

Globalization probably had less impact on regional inequalities than fiscal distortions

We consider the impact of MERCOSUR on trade among Brazilian states and on trade by Brazilian states with MERCOSUR and the rest of the world. We use a theoretically founded gravity model to shed light on MERCOSUR’s possible creation and diversion effects as well as its “preference erosion”...

This study analyses trade strategies and performances of a sample of seven Sub-Saharan African countries (South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Nigeria and Senegal), which together represent over two-thirds of Africa’s total exports. Although the poor overall Africa’s...

In the early 1980’s, Bernard Lassudrie-Duchêne was one of the first authors to analyse theorically and empirically the international production process decomposition (or fragmentation). This phenomenon, which explains a large part of the intermediate goods international trade, has become one...