The report represents the first part of a project targeting the problems and prospects of two economic integration projects in Greater Europe — the European project (European Union) and the Eurasian project (Russia, the Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Union). This topic is particularly...

Within a single generation, the post-Soviet political, economic, and social landscape has changed immensely. The new structures — ranging from national power structures to a completely new economic reality based on the market instead of centralized planning — have come into existence. As 20...

The paper examines the economic implications of Belarus' participation in the newly created EURASEC Customs Union. The results of the calculations show that after the introduction of a common external tariff (CET) the level of tariff protection in Belarus has not increased noticeably. The...

This paper studies a customs union agreement when governments are subject to the pressure of special interest groups that have better information about the competitiveness of the industries they represent. We focus on the agreement’s effect on the structure of political influence. When joining...

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...

This paper shows that the WTO's Article XXIV increases the likelihood of free trade, but may worsen world welfare when free trade is not reached and customs unions (CUs) form. We consider a model of many countries. Article XXIV prevents a CU from raising its common external tariff, which makes...

Within a span of several years, post-Soviet integration has evolved from a largely paper project and rhetoric construct — which certain countries exploited to suit their domestic policies — into an important factor influencing economic development. However, its further prospects are unclear....

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,...

The article covers main stages of integration processes in the CIS area since its formation. We analyzed the specifics of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) in the CIS. We prepared an exhaustive list of expired and currently effective PTAs in the CIS area, taking into account the initial...

The world is going through strikingly fast and comprehensive transformation. The harmonization of the bilateral or multilateral regulations and standards all over the world will make market penetrations much easier, or harder. This is also a critical turn for the overall Turkish economic and...