Ein transatlantisches Freihandelsabkommen, das auch nicht-tarifäre Handelsbarrieren abbaut, hat ein erhebliches Potenzial, Wohlfahrtsgewinne für seine Mitgliedsländer zu schaffen. Das Abkommen führt insbesondere zu einem Anstieg der Exporte der mittelständischen Unternehmen in die USA. Die...

Debates over proposals to liberalise international trade are often heated and acrimonious. They are often argued, in part, on the basis of projections of market conditions after the proposed liberalisation. These argument are often important in influencing trade policy decisions, yet their...

This paper analyzes how uncertainty influences the formation and design of regional trade agreements (TAs). Two sources of uncertainty — in demand and costs — are considered. Using a multi-stage game we show that, as long as some decisions are made after uncertainty is resolved,...

Notwithstanding the persevering endeavours of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries to enhance economic cooperation and intra–regional trade, contentions exist amongst analysts on the objective that has remained rather elusive for over two decades. Against...

We raise the possibility that at least some of the free trade areas observed in practice are customs unions in disguise. We distinguish between generalized and standard customs unions. While members of the former can choose different external tariff rates, members of the latter levy a common...

This paper analyzes how uncertainty and the timing of its resolution influence the formation and design of regional trade agreements. Two sources of uncertainty ? in demand and costs ? are considered. We compare the case in which uncertainty is resolved "early" (before tariffs are chosen), with...

The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is moving towards closer economic integration among its Member States, including the free mobility of professionals and highly skilled workers. The freer flow of goods and capital will place path dependence, which encourages firms that already hire migrant...

This paper argues that interests of nationals and owners of home-based foreign capital in the formation of a Trade Agreements (TA) are not antagonistic, except under rather particular assumptions on initial tariffs among potential members. Further, if initial tariffs are endogenously determined...