This Paper studies the evolution of sectoral labour concentration in relation to the level of per capita income. We show that various measures of sectoral concentration follow a U-shaped pattern across a wide variety of data sources: countries first diversify, in the sense that labour is spread...

This paper deals with the investment effects of regional integration agreements and discusses how such arrangements may affect inward and outward foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in the integrating region. After setting up a conceptual framework for the analysis, we provide three studies...

This paper explores to what extent the magnitude and speed of the contagion effects that materialized in East Asia in the second half of 1997 may have had "real" underpinnings, in the sense that the pattern of production, consumption and trade increased the vulnerability of East Asian countries...

Trade liberalization in Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland was accomplished in record time between 1989 and 1991. Sustainability became, however, a major concern in Central and Eastern Europe as the `honeymoon of trade liberalization' ended in 1991/2. The paper examines whether Europe Agreements...

Car prices in Europe are characterized by large and persistent differences across countries. The purpose of this paper is to document and explain this price dispersion. Using a panel data set extending from 1980 to 1993, two main facts concerning car prices in Europe are demonstrated: (1) the...

We argue that wages have increased so far ahead of labour productivity in East Germany as to produce a problem that will continue to hound German policy-makers for the next two decades. Despite rapid rates of capital accumulation (around 9%) and growth (around 5%) in East Germany over the coming...

This Paper studies how economic integration affects transfer pricing, tax policy and welfare, when multinationals are taxed either according to formula apportionment (FA) or separate accounting (SA). It is shown that economic integration induces multinationals to lower their transfer prices...

This review of recent contributions reveals common conclusions about the effects of integration on location. For high trade costs the need to supply markets locally encourages firms to spread across different regions. Integration weakens the incentives for self-sufficiency and for intermediate...

The European Union reached a turning point when it has not only to fructify the opportunities of the new market opened by globalization, but also to face significant threats such as the ageing population, the competition from the Asian producers and the dependence on the energetic resources...

This paper investigates the extent of integration of the transition economies into the world economy. We find that south-eastern Europe (SEE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) trade significantly less with the world economy than the accession countries. We use a gravity model to...