In this paper we use detailed trade and production data and a theoretically consistent model of demand - the Almost Ideal Demand System - to estimate bilateral trade elasticities, the key parameters required for quantification of the effects of the `1992' programme. Initial results for 70 West...

Borders have a sizable negative impact on trade flows. Given the vast number of individual goods potentially traded, this "border effect" could have two possible explanations: (1) less international than domestic trade in the goods that are actually traded between countries ("flow"), or (2)...

We provide evidence indicating that countries with well-developed social security systems do not necessarily face a trade-off between social spending and competitiveness. On average, countries that spend a lot on social needs score well in the competitiveness league. We investigate the...