While the regional economic integration encompassing the former Soviet Union (FSU) transpiresto be inefficient, there appears to be a stronger interest in regionalism in smaller groupsof more homogenous and geographically connected countries of the region, specifically, CentralAsia. Using a new...

This paper analyses trade specialisation dynamics in two Eastern European countries(Romania and Bulgaria – EEC-2) vis-à-vis the core EU member states (EU-15) over theperiod 1990-2006. Specifically, we focus on whether there is a shift towards intra-industrytrade leading to economic...

This paper explores the role of country asymmetries for trade and industrial policies withheterogeneous firms. Our analysis delivers a number of novel results. First, trade policies,infrastructure policies and industrial policies which improve the business conditions in onecountry have negative...

The robust empirical finding that exporting firms are systematically different from firms thatmerely serve domestic consumers has inspired the development of a new brand of tradetheory, the theory of heterogeneous firms and trade. The establishment of a canonical modeldue to Melitz (2003) has...

Microfoundations of the euro´s effect on euro area trade hinge on the timing, thespeed and the size of adjustment in trade costs. We estimate timing, speed and sizeof adjustment in trade costs for sectoral trade data. Our approach allows for sectorspecific impacts of trade costs on sectoral...

Our paper deals with econometric developments for the estimation of the gravity model whichlead to convergent parameter estimates even when a correlation exists between theexplanatory variables and the specific unobservable characteristics of each unit. Weimplement panel data econometric...

In this paper, we analyse competition among jurisdictions to attract firms through low taxes oncapital and/or high level of public goods, which enhance firms’ productivity. We assume that thecompeting jurisdictions are different in (population) size and that the mobility of capital is...

This paper provides, and empirically estimates, a model of sovereign default risk on external debt,in which the sovereign endogenously determines the timing of defaulting. The paper o¤ers theoreticalpredictions of the relationship between credit spreads and related macro-variables that are...

The 2003 reforms of the Common Agricultural policy of the European Unionintroduced decoupled income transfers as the most prominent policy instrument.However, member states were given substantial discretion over the degree and timingof the reform implementation. As a result, different...

This paper develops a trade model with firm-specific quality heterogeneity, limit pric-ing, and an endogenous distribution of markups. Exposure to trade induces only thefirms producing high-quality (high-price) products to enter the export markets, whereasfirms producing low-quality (low-price)...