We work with a panel of bilateral trade flows from 1988 to 2002, exploring the influence of infrastructure, institutional quality, colonial and geographic context, and trade preferences on the pattern of bilateral trade. We are interested in threshold effects, and so emphasize those cases where...

Cross-border mergers and acquisitions (Mamp;As) have increased dramatically over the last two decades. This paper analyses the role of trade costs in explaining the increase in both the number and the value of cross-border mergers and acquisitions. In particular, we distinguish horizontal and...

Using a large survey spanning several years and more than 150 countries, we examine the importance of social networks in influencing individuals' intention to migrate domestically or internationally. We distinguish close social networks (composed of friends and family) and broad social networks...

Irregular migrants from Africa and the Middle East flow into Europe along land and sea routes under the control of human smugglers. The demise of the Gaddafi regime in 2011 marked the opening of the Central Mediterranean Route for irregular border - crossing between Libya and Italy. This...

Irregular migrants from Africa and the Middle East flow into Europe along land and sea routes under the control of human smugglers. The demise of the Gaddafi regime in 2011 marked the opening of the Central Mediterranean Route for irregular border–crossing between Libya and Italy. This...

Africa-to-Europe irregular migration depends heavily on human smuggling services. The demise of the Gaddafi regime in 2011 marked the end of a bilateral agreement between Italy and Libya and opened the Central Mediterranean Route for irregular border crossing. How did this remarkable increase in...

Cross-border mergers and acquisitions (Mamp;As) have increased dramatically over the last two decades. This paper analyzes the role of trade costs in explaining the increase in the number of cross-border Mamp;As. In particular, we distinguish horizontal and non-horizontal Mamp;As and investigate...

This paper develops a novel methodology to measure the quantity of jobs and value of wages embodied in exports for a large number of countries and sectors for intermittent years between 1995 and 2011. The resulting Labor Content of Exports database allows the examination of the direct...

Services trade constitute roughly one-third of trade on a value added basis, and much of this is concentrated in margin services (transport, logistics) linked to trade in goods. However, producer services are also part of the value added contained in traded goods. This is especially true in high...

This book offers an independent, wide-ranging and in-depth analysis of a possible Free Trade Area between the EU and China. The design of the FTA is suggested to be 'deep and comprehensive', with extensive qualitative evidence in nine different domains of such a FTA, including investment. In...