Exports and Productivity Selection Effects for Dutch Firms

The paper tests whether recent theories of international trade with heterogeneous firms can explain the export patterns in Dutch firm- and plant- level data in manufacturing and services. Recent trade models with heterogeneous firms predict that the export decision of firms is affected by sunk entry costs in foreign markets, with only the most productive firms self-selecting into exports. We test a latent variable model of the export decision by probit regressions and standard OLS panel regressions. Our results support the self-selection prediction. The process further appears to be conditioned by scale effects, market structure and multinational affiliation. Regarding alternative explanations, we do not find evidence for the learning-by-exporting hypothesis, even when controlling for the firm’s distance to the international productivity frontier.     

Does international trade competition influence candidates and voters? The case of Japanese Lower House elections

In this study, we explore the effects of regional exposure to manufacturing imports and exports on candidates and voters in national elections through panel data analyses, dealing with the possible endogeneity issues. We show that candidates tailor their stances toward trade policy in response to changes in local trade exposure. Increased manufacturing exports drive candidates to support relatively open trade policies; however, increased manufacturing imports do not influence candidates’ stances on trade policy. We also find that changes in local trade exposure influence citizens’ voting behavior. In districts with increased exports of manufacturing products, voters tend to cast ballots for parties that pledge to promote a free trade agreement as opposed to those that adopt a cautious attitude toward it. In districts that experience increased imports of manufacturing products, voters tend to support parties that are clearly opposed to establishing it. The economic issues related to international trade appear to be important to both candidates and voters in elections.     

Protection and Trade in Services: A Survey

This paper surveys the literature on trade in services, focusing on the policies that are used to restrict such trade, the gains from liberalization, and the institutional mechanisms that have been adopted in the pursuit of liberalization. The paper argues that technological progress and international trade negotiations are likely to keep liberalization of trade in services a high profile policy issue. It also suggests that the research agenda should focus on developing better estimates of the welfare costs of protectionism in the service sector.     

世界经济再平衡和美国套利

美国次贷危机引发了席卷全球的金融危机,长期的低利率货币政策和赤字财政政策是引发美国次贷危机的主要原因。贸易保护和美元贬值将是美国未来减少贸易赤字和刺激经济复苏的重要政策取向,在所谓世界经济"再平衡"过程中美国将会实现双向套利。作为持有大量美元外汇资产的美国最大逆差国,中国应该保持人民币与美元汇率的稳定,逐步减持美元债券,加快生产与贸易结构调整,推动国际经济体制和国际金融体系的改革。     

Are the degree of trade openness and the degree of wage centralisation negatively correlated?

This paper presents evidence of a negative correlation between the degree of wage centralisation and the degree of trade openness, which is taken as a proxy measures of international trade integration. The sample data cover a macro-panel of 17 OECD countries over the 1975?C2000 period. The results are robust to alternative estimation methods and after controlling for the endogeneity of the degree of openness. This contrasts with the existing empirical evidence, based on cross-country macroeconomic data, suggesting that more open economies have more centralised wage bargaining institutions on average.     

跨境数据流动规则对服务贸易成本的影响

数据流动已成为贸易规则谈判的重要议题。通过构建RTA（区域贸易协定）跨境数据流动规则深度指数和测算双边服务贸易成本，实证分析跨境数据流动规则对服务贸易成本的影响。研究发现，在理论机制上，跨境数据流动规则通过减少监管分歧和促进服务贸易数字化降低服务贸易成本。实证结果表明，缔结跨境数据流动规则和跨境数据流动规则深度的增加均会显著降低服务贸易成本。分规则类型来看，数据便利类条款、数据保护类条款、数据流动类条款和数据例外类条款深度的增加均能降低服务贸易成本；从不同经济发展水平匹配的国家对来看，发展中国家之间、发达国家与发展中国家之间跨境数据流动规则的缔结和规则深度的增加均能降低服务贸易成本。     

Services content of Japanese trade

This paper investigates the scale of direct and indirect services trade, or services content, in Japanese trade between 1985 and 1995 using data from Japanese input–output tables. The empirical analysis revealed that the services content reflected the characteristics of the Japanese economy. The scale of research and development (R&D) services in total services trade has been much higher throughout the period than has the scale of other services. The R&D services content of Japanese merchandise exports amounted to US$ 27.0 billion in 1995, 84.3 percent of which was channeled through machinery exports. The R&D services content of Japanese machinery exports toward East and Southeast Asia grew rapidly, especially toward ASEAN countries. Our results confirm the importance of the traded-related international R&D spillovers.     

依托霍尔果斯国际边境合作中心推进中哈区域金融合作问题探讨

中哈霍尔果斯国际边境合作中心的主要功能是贸易洽谈、商品展示和销售、金融服务、仓储运输、宾馆饭店、商业服务设施和举办各类区域性国际经贸洽谈会。本文阐述了霍尔果斯国际边境合作中心给中哈金融合作带来的机遇,以及对金融服务的要求,在此基础上分析了目前中哈金融合作中存在的主要问题,并提出了政策建议。     

服务贸易、非对称开放与全球失衡:一项跨国的经验研究

文章从贸易内部结构出发，分析非对称开放条件下，服务贸易兴起与全球失衡之间的关系。并利用全球59个主要贸易国家2000-2014年双边贸易数据对两者之间的关系进行计量分析，实证结果显示：第一，服务贸易净值与经常账户余额之间存在显著的负向关系，服务贸易净值提高100万美元，经常账户余额减少98.7万美元。在引入交互项之后这种关系依然显著成立。因此，服务贸易的非对称开放是造成全球失衡的重要原因。第二，技术进步和利率上调可以扭转服务贸易对经常账户的抑制作用。第三，金融危机之后，服务贸易和经常账户的负向关系进一步强化。后危机时代，全球失衡现象有可能继续恶化。第四，分位数回归发现，在低点位处服务贸易净值对经常账户的影响更为强烈。文章的研究为理解中国的服务贸易逆差提供了新的视角，并为扭转服务贸易逆差奠定了理论基础。     

我国重点城市旅游服务贸易发展评价及对策建议——基于27个城市的实证研究

旅游服务贸易已成为各国服务贸易的重要组成部分,我国旅游服务贸易集中在城市地区。文章以我国27个重点城市为研究对象,采用2007年截面数据,构建了包括6个一级指标、18个二级指标的我国重点城市旅游服务贸易发展评价指标体系,对27个城市旅游服务贸易发展进行了定量评价;利用聚类分析方法将27个城市划分为5个主类、9个亚类,分析了每个亚类城市旅游服务贸易发展特点,提出了进一步发展的对策建议。     

Globalization, industrialization and urbanization in Pre-World War II Southeast Asia

This article uses new data to analyze the impact on Southeast Asian urbanization of globalization and industrialization in the world economy's core countries between the 1870s and World War II. Dramatic falls in transport costs and free trade, enforced, if necessary, by colonial rule, combined to open vast frontier areas throughout Southeast Asia to global commerce and create a handful of large urban centres. These cities, through linking Southeast Asian primary commodity exporters to world markets, grew predominantly as part of the global economy. Our econometric analysis shows that measures of globalization — in particular industrial production in the world core and international transport costs — are much better predictors of the size of Southeast Asia's main cities than domestic factors such as total population, GDP per capita, land area or government expenditure.     

Trade policy under imperfect competition: The economics of Russian roulette

Summary Neo-classical economic theory shows that managed trade or protectionism is (almost) always welfare decreasing. However, measurements of the welfare costs of protectionism based on neo-classical models seem to suggest that these costs are quite small. We discuss general new insights and developments in the theory, policy and empiricism of international trade. The observation that intra-industry trade and the services sector are important has led to a shift in theory away from constant returns to scale and perfect competition towards economies of scale and scope, externalities, market imperfections, and imperfect competition. Although this, in principle, opens the door to beneficial government intervention in the economic process, we emphasize that the true costs of protection can potentially be much higher than is generally acknowledged as a result of the above mentioned shift.We would like to thank, without implicating, Martin Fase, Harry Garretsen, Catrinus Jepma, Simon Kuipers, Ger Lanjouw, Tenn Schmidt, Albert de Vaal, and Jean-Marie Viaene for stimulating conversations and useful suggestions. We thank Thijs Knaap for excellent research assistance.     

Trade openness and income inequality in China and the SAARC Region

The paper empirically examines the effects of trade liberalisation on income inequality in China and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries. Panel data analysis is conducted for the period of 1973 to 2012. The results show that liberal trade policies have increased income inequality in these countries. These results are robust to alternative liberalisation measures. The control variables used have differing effects on income distribution. Per capita income has an increasing effect on income inequality, while education, financial development, financial openness, democracy, and government size are shown to reduce income inequality. These outcomes can be expected to have important policy implications for the use of trade liberalisation in these countries.     

外商直接投资对我国服务贸易的影响研究——基于1982～2010年时间序列数据的实证分析

本文基于向量自回归(VAR)模型,利用我国1982～2010年度的经济数据,对我国外商直接投资对我国服务贸易的影响进行实证分析,结果表明:外商直接投资与我国服务贸易进口、出口之间存在协整关系;服务贸易进口与FDI存在双向的因果关系。无论从长期或短期来看,外商直接投资对我国服务贸易进出口的效应均为正。基于此,我国应制定相关吸引外资的政策,重视服务贸易人才培养,并促进我国货物贸易出口与服务贸易出口协调发展,进而发挥货物贸易出口对服务贸易出口的带动作用。     

跨境电商综合试验区对地区经济的影响及差异性分析——基于“反事实”视角

跨境电商综合试验区是国家推进贸易新业态,实现更高水平开放,助推经济高质量发展的重要举措。文章基于"反事实"视角下的合成控制法和面板数据政策评估方法,运用67个城市2001-2019年的面板数据,评估了我国设立的第一批和第二批跨境电商综合试验区的经济效应,并结合不同综试区的产业基础和制度改革的重点,比较分析不同综试区经济效应的地区差异性。结果表明,第一批杭州综试区对地区经济增长,对外贸易水平以及产业结构升级均有显著的促进作用;而第二批综试区的经济效应主要体现为对外贸易水平的促进作用,对地区经济增长和产业结构的效果不明显;在研究的五个综试区中,内陆地区综试区对外贸易的促进作用显著高于沿海地区综试区。文章建议各地区综试区不能简单复制杭州的做法,应该结合当地的产业特征,主动进行制度创新,才能有效发挥综试区对经济发展的促进效应;另一方面,国家应该扩大内陆地区综试区的设立,以克服非沿海城市发展传统国际贸易的区位劣势,促进更高水平的对外开放。     

State trading organizations: A bias decision model and applications

This paper examines the role of public enterprises in international trade (State Trading Organizations - STOs). Section 2 contrasts motives given for STO creation with those given for public enterprises in general and with policy conclusions of international trade theorists. Section 3 explores sources of bias which at the time of the decision to create an STO lead to understatement of expected costs and overstatement of expected benefits. Section 4 provides a detailed examination of two recently-created Peruvian firms, ENCI and MINPECO, within this biased-decision framework. The concluding section suggests further research needed about STOs.     

Determinants of Taiwan's Trade Liberalization: The Case of a Newly Industrialized Country

This paper attempts to account for the success of policy reform in Taiwan's trade liberalization through an investigation of the periods 1986–92, and 1992–95. The objective is to undertake an empirical examination of Haggard et al.'s (The political feasibility of adjustment in developing countries. Development Centre of the OECD, OECD, Paris, 1995) strategies for minimizing the political costs involved in implementing policy reforms. Empirical evidence supports the Haggard et al. arguments, that is, indirect compensation is used to facilitate the implementation of trade liberalization for downstream industries, while the speed of trade liberalization within certain specific industries is comparatively slow. Furthermore, in a democratic regime, the pressure brought to bear by well-organized domestic interest groups, along with the pressure from international interest groups, can strongly influence the pattern of trade liberalization policies.     

国际保理在中小进出口企业中的应用分析

国际保理,作为一种贸易结算手段和金融服务业务,通过其自身提供的多项服务适应买方市场的要求,对当今世界贸易的发展起着巨大的推动作用。文章介绍了国际保理的应用优势,在此基础上提出中小型进出口企业尤其是中小型出口企业更应充分采用国际保理。同时,分析了我国中小企业开展国际保理业务所面临的问题并且提出了相应的对策。     

Spillovers from foreign direct investment in services: Evidence at sub-sectoral level for the Asia-Pacific

We take a sectoral level approach to analyzing the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows. We disaggregate FDI first by manufacturing versus services, then within services by financial services, trade services, and business services. We consider the effects of FDI inflows on growth of GDP per capita, then distinguish between growth in manufacturing and services value added per capita. Our data sample comprises 14 Asia Pacific economies for the period 1985–2012 to which we apply a dynamic panel generalized method of moments estimation technique. Services FDI as a whole is found to have a significantly positive impact on GDP growth while manufacturing FDI is found to have no effect. The impetus for growth from services FDI traces to financial services in particular, acting not only directly on service sector output but through manufacturing sector output as well. By contrast, trade services FDI is found to have a significantly negative effect on manufacturing output with no significant effect on services output. Foreign participation in trade services may act to expose domestic manufacturers to international competition and may also lead to domestic consolidation to take advantage of economies of scale.     

Impact of trade cost on China-EU agri-food trade

In this research, we investigate trade costs in relation to China-EU trade in agri-food products during 2001–2015. Major components of trade cost include transportation costs, border-related policy barriers such as tariffs, and local distribution costs. Our results indicate that trade costs between China and EU involving agri-food products, although falling, remain abnormally high. Consequently, we find that trade cost reductions contribute to over half of the overall China-EU trade growth. Our decomposition technique demonstrates that economic growth and trade cost reductions are the key drivers of China-EU trade expansion. Implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) would reduce high trade costs to increase EU-China bilateral agricultural trade significantly. This is not fully captured in the gravity models where a static distance is usually used as a proxy to trade cost. The BRI will not reduce the distance, but it will cut transportation and other components of trade cost for China-EU trade.