Natural resources account for 20% of world trade and dominate the exports of many countries. Policy is used to manipulate both international and domestic prices of resources, yet policy is largely outside the disciplines of the WTO. The instruments used include export taxes, price controls,...

What exactly is spatial inequality? Why does it matter? And what should be the policy response to it? These questions have become important in recent years as the spatial dimensions of inequality have begun to attract considerable policy interest. In China, Russia, India, Mexico, and South...

This paper provides an overview of the relationships between natural resources, governance, and economic performance. The relationships run in both directions, with re-sources potentially altering the quality of governance, and governance being particularly important for resource poor countries....

[eng] Integration and Industrial Specialisation in the European Union. . This paper analyses the indusirial structure of the European Union. Our results show that from 1980 onwards, the industrial structures of EU economies have become increasingly dissimilar. In contrast, results for individual...

The population of South Asia lives almost entirely in one mega-country or two large ones. In contrast, the rather smaller population of sub-Saharan Africa is spread across some fifty countries. Does this political fragmentation have economic consequences? We suggest that both private economic...

This paper analyses the industrial structure of the European Union. Our results show that from 1980 onwards, the industrial structures of EU economies have become increasingly dissimilar. In contrast, results for individual industries are more varied. Some industries have become more...

Global production sharing is determined by international cost differences and frictions related to the costs of unbundling stages spatially. The interaction between these forces depends on engineering details of the production process with two extremes being 'snakes' and 'spiders'. Snakes are...

Physical and economic geography both contribute to low levels of income in Africa. The small size of African countries and markets impedes growth through a number of mechanisms. The business environment is prone to monopoly and opportunistic behaviour. Cities are relatively small. Public goods...

Where imports are financed predominantly by rents from resource extraction or aid the revenue generated by tariffs is illusory. Revenue earned by the tariff is offset by a reduction in the real value of aid and resource rents. Revenue is however moved between accounts in the government budget...