To date, most estimates of the effects of free trade agreements (FTAs) on international trade flows have used the gravity equation in international trade, but have often yielded highly "fragile" estimates. This paper instead employs a non-parametric "matching" statistical estimation technique of...

We address three themes on the New Regionalism. First, the prominent analogy to a “spaghetti bowl” of economic integration agreements (EIAs) should be replaced by reference to a « market » for EIAs. We suggest a systematic economic framework for analyzing « competitive...

One of the most notable events of the world economy over the past twenty years has been the phenomenal growth in the number of international economic integration agreements, such as free trade agreements. This paper discusses the roles of “competitive liberalization” by nations’...

This paper documents the presence of "sensitive sectors" in Free Trade Agreements, defined as sectors for which the within-FTA tariffs remain positive. The paper includes some brief theoretical discussion of the welfare implications of these, but the main emphasis is on reporting two measures of...

This paper considers regional and unilateral trade policy options for the West Bank and Gaza (WBG). It examines the welfare implications of a free trade agreement (FTA) with Israel, a customs union (CU) with Israel, and a nondiscriminatory trade policy (NDTP). The analysis captures the fact that...

Trade patterns across the globe vary in certain ways. For the EU27, the analyzed data suggests that approximately 70% of all Romania's imports, and the same amount of its exports, are intra-community oriented. The question that arises is what will happen to te Romania's external trade, if a...

Trade-diversion effects of free trade agreements (FTAs) have not been thoroughly examined empirically. Using a novel empirical approach, we confirm that FTAs divert trade away from non-member countries and even more so from internal trade (domestic sales) in member countries.

A few studies have shown that free trade agreements have affected the pattern of state exports. This paper examines the effects of free trade agreements on US state vegetable and fruit trade flows. We propose a single commodity gravity equation to overcome a common shortcoming of most gravity...

This study investigated the trade efficiency and trade effects under Free Trade Agreements for Thailand's agricultural exports. There are five main trading partners comprising China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and India. The important agricultural commodities of rubber, cassava, fruits,...

This paper uses two empirical tools to quantify the impact of tariff changes on bilateral trade and welfare. Both tools are rooted in structural gravity literature. The first tool estimates the impact of tariff changes on bilateral trade for 5,020 products in a partial equilibrium framework....