Much potential for trade liberalization exists in industries and markets with trade barriers that are prohibitive for all or many firms. In standard political economic theories of trade policy, observed prohibitive barriers must be globally optimal according to static government preferences,...

Linkage theory (the way one negotiation influences or determines the process or outcome of another) can effectively explain the relationship between a negotiation and its relevant environment. This study examines how external events grounded in multilateral, regional or bilateral environments...