We will be asking ourselves if the trading blocs created or renewed since the end of the 1980s favor the multilateralization of trade, and so constitute building or stumbling blocks. In a gravity model using panel data, we estimate a set of three regional dummies representative of intra-bloc...

The aim of this paper is to review the state of art regarding the theoretical foundations of gravity equations applied to trade flows. Micro-foundations of the supply side and of the demand side are presented such as new models where a) general equilibrium constraints are taken into account b)...

In our European Economic Review (2002) paper, we used pre-1998 data on countries participating in and leaving currency unions to estimate the effect of currency unions on trade using (then-) conventional gravity models. In this paper, we use a variety of empirical gravity models to estimate the...

There is a controversy about the extent to which bilateral investment treaties (and double taxation treaties) lead to increased FDI flows. This text – the overview chapter of a volume that brings together the literature on this subject – draws the conclusions for these various contributions

In order to diversify their risks, firms facing increased demand uncertainty in their domestic market may choose to increase their investment abroad by transferring production to the more stable host economies. Using a gravity model, we test the assumption that foreign direct investment is...

This paper takes a first look at the trade effects of China's Belt and Road Initiative, also referred to as the New Silk Road, on the 71 countries potentially involved. The initiative consists of several infrastructure investment projects to improve the land and maritime transportation in the...

The global financial crisis has brought to an end a rather unprecedented period of banks' international expansion. We analyze the effects of the crisis on international banking. Using a detailed dataset on the international assets of all German banks with foreign affiliates for the years...