This paper investigates the impact of institutions on trade and estimates the potential for trade increase between the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the European Union (EU). The latter is computed from a gravity equation using the procedure introduced by Hausman and Taylor [1981....

We analyze how the product market competition shock due to China’s WTO entry affects local US banks heterogeneously. Using a difference-in-differences empirical strategy, we document that in regions with greater exposure to the shock, loan quality deteriorates and bank profitability declines...

The aim of this research is to examine the legitimacy of global economic governance and clarify to what extent the convergence of interests among state actors and non-state actors enhances the effectiveness of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The strengthened legitimacy of global economic...

Since the mid-1980s a substantial body of research has taken shape on trade in services. Much of this is inspired by the WTO or regional trade agreements, especially the EU. However, an increasing number of papers focus on the impacts of unilateral services sector liberalization. The literature...

This paper examines the role of competition law and policy as tools for poverty reduction and development. The authors put forward five related principles, building upon the important work on related issues that has been done by the OECD, the International Competition Network (ICN), UNCTAD and...

In a rapidly changing trade environment, marked by economic slowdown and impasse in the Doha Round, the success of the WTO in promoting and legitimizing the rules-based multilateral trading system rests, to a large extent, on maintaining effective relations with civil society, including...

Côte d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer and exporter of cocoa beans, it accounts for 40% of the WAEMU's output, and 11% of its population are immigrant workers. Any political instability in the country will not only affect the domestic economy, but it will also affect the international...

The WTO's plurilateral Agreement on Government Procurement ("the GPA" or "the Agreement") is an important ongoing success story for the Organization. In March 2012, the GPA Parties completed a comprehensive revision of the Agreement, encompassing both its text and coverage (market access...

The scope and depth of bilateral and regional preferential trade agreements (RTAs) negotiated over the past 15 years has expanded beyond traditional market access and preferential tariffs to include provisions on a wide range of issues, including trade facilitation. This study is a first attempt...