Borders Redrawn: Measuring the Statistical Creation of International Trade

In this note, we quantify how much of the increase in the volume of international trade that took place since 1945 is attributed to the reclassification of within‐country trade to international trade owing to changes in national boundaries. We do so by imposing the territorial delimitations corresponding to 1946 to the current trade flow data, thus quantifying the volume of international trade that would not have been labelled international given national boundaries right after the end of World War II. Our results show that the effect of ‘boundary redrawing’ corresponds roughly to 1 per cent of the total volume of international trade. If colonial trade had been statistically considered to be within‐country (within‐empire) trade instead of international trade, the independence of colonies would have raised this effect to approximately 3 per cent of total trade.     

注册会计师服务市场的拓展与独立性的冲突与协调

安然公司破产案导致会计职业界对审计独立性的思考 ,审计独立性概念已经发展 ,CPA业务根据市场需求及CPA行业发展的需要 ,须进行业务领域的拓展。由于管理咨询与审计业务存在利益的矛盾 ,CPA需要进行相应的协调 ,以促使CPA行业健康顺利的发展。     

On the conservation of distance in international trade

Using disaggregated bilateral trade data, we find that the elasticity of trade to distance increased (in absolute value) by about 10% since 1985. To explore the reasons for this shift, we decompose the change in the distance elasticity of trade into the part due to a shift in the composition of trade among industries and the part due to a change in the distance sensitivity within industries. We find that adjustment in the composition of trade had little effect, but for 40% of industries distance became more important, with nearly all of the remaining industries showing no significant change. We explore alternative hypotheses as to why the elasticity of trade to distance increased in some industries. We find that homogeneous goods, bulky goods, and high tariff goods became significantly more distance sensitive. In contrast, the evidence implies that changes in tariffs and freight costs have reduced the importance of distance on trade. We conclude that the increase in the importance of distance over time is related to the substitutability of goods and the level of trade costs, but not to changes in tariffs or freight costs.     

The effect of the Internet on international trade

We find that the Internet stimulates trade. Evidence from time-series and cross-section regressions shows a significant effect of the Internet on trade in recent years. Our results suggest that a 10 percentage point increase in the growth of web hosts in a country leads to about a 0.2 percentage point increase in export growth. For the average country in our sample, the Internet contributed to about a 1 percentage point increase in annual export growth from 1997 to 1999. We also find evidence of proximity-biased trade growth, i.e. that trade growth is lower for more distant countries, but we do not find evidence that the Internet has directly affected this bias. The evidence is consistent with a model in which the Internet reduces market-specific fixed costs of trade. In particular, we show that an Internet-related reduction in fixed costs is likely to enhance export growth. The model also shows that the Internet does not directly affect the relationship between distance and trade; however, to the extent that competition is enhanced as a result of its development, the Internet will increase the overall effect of distance on trade.     

Export Growth and Trade Policy in Ghana in the Twentieth Century

Ghana's exports on a per capita basis failed to grow over the course of the twentieth century. The reasons for this outcome are examined in this paper. It is argued that the success which characterised the period before independence was due to the combination of an open trade policy and flexible factor markets. The reversal of such policies at the time of independence was the source of the subsequent decline. While the terms of trade for Ghana's exports have fluctuated substantially there has been little change in their level over the century. Economic failure since independence has been due to domestic policies limiting export growth. The reforms of the post 1983 period have succeeded in preventing further decline; they have failed to provide a policy environment in which rapid growth of exports can occur. The nature of this policy failure is discussed.     

The impact of single windows on trade

This paper is the first that quantifies the impact of single windows (SWs) on international trade globally. SWs function as a single point of entry and exit of the goods traded internationally and are therefore intended to facilitate trade. Using a structural gravity model for a panel of 176 countries from 1995 to 2017, we apply a log–log and a Poisson pseudo-maximum-likelihood estimator (PPML) with multidimensional fixed effects to evaluate the extent to which export and import flows vary depending on whether or not countries have operational SWs. The main results from the linearised gravity model suggest that total trade between two countries with functioning SWs increases by about 37%, of which 23 corresponds to exports and 14 to imports. The result from the PPML estimation also indicates a positive and significant effect, which is however much smaller in magnitude.     

The Long‐run Relationship Between Trade and Population Health: Evidence from Five Decades

In recent years, the increase in international trade has sparked a debate about the impact of international trade on population health. To date, however, there has been very little econometric research on the relationship between these two variables. This paper examines the long‐run relationship between trade openness and population health for a sample of 74 countries over five decades, from 1960 to 2010. Using panel time‐series techniques, it is shown that international trade in general has a robust positive long‐run effect on health, as measured by life expectancy and infant mortality. This effect tends to be greater in countries with lower development levels, higher taxes on income, profits, and capital gains, and less restrictive business and labour market regulations.     

The Benefits of Free Trade to U.S. Consumers

Much of the literature concerning trade liberalization focuses on estimating the effect of increased trade on aggregate economic indicators, such as the growth in GDP per capita. Although there is a general recognition that trade benefits consumers, there is little research that estimates the direct impact of increased trade on U.S. consumers. We take broad measures of the economic impact of trade liberalization from three authoritative studies and apply economic principles to estimate the impact of increased trade on the income of U.S. households. We find, for example, that U.S. households gained about $2,500 in 2002 from increased trade, or the equivalent of almost six percent of the median household income in that year. We believe these results should be given weight in the ongoing debate regarding the effect of globalization.JEL Classification F130,F140     

中日贸易与人民币汇率:实证分析

中日贸易与人民币汇率问题,其汇率变动对贸易收支的影响是值得怀疑的。在两变量模型中,1998～2003年月度数据计量表明,中日贸易与人民币汇率之间没有长期稳定的协整关系。并且,依据中日两国月度统计数据计量的结论是相一致的。在多变量模型中计量证实,日本对华贸易收支取决于日本总产出、日本进口关税、人民币对日元实际汇率,以及中国总产出等宏观经济变量,仅仅人民币对日元实际升值,只会对日本对华贸易收支产生不利的影响。政策建议是,中日两国应该采取贸易合作政策,这样中日双边贸易收支都将会得到改善。     

How do Independent Directors Influence Corporate Risk‐Taking? Evidence from a Quasi‐Natural Experiment

Motivated by agency theory, we explore the effect of independent directors on corporate risk taking. To minimize endogeneity, we exploit the passage of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act as an exogenous shock that raises board independence. Our difference‐in‐difference estimates show that board independence diminishes risk‐taking significantly, as evidenced by the substantially lower volatility in the stock returns. In particular, board independence reduces total risk and idiosyncratic risk by 24.87% and 12.60%, respectively. The evidence is consistent with the notion that board independence represents an effective governance mechanism that prevents managers from taking excessive risk. Additional analysis based on propensity score matching also confirms our results. Our research design is based on a natural experiment and is far more likely to show causality, rather than merely an association.     

基于绿色壁垒导向效应的中国出口贸易发展的路径选择

本文基于环境保护,提出绿色壁垒对发展中国家出口贸易的导向效应,并评析了中国的出口贸易绿色壁垒,认为中国出口贸易取得巨大成就的背后是沉重的代价,负面效应正在逐步释放。基于对国际贸易环境复杂多变和国内转变经济增长方式的把握,提出了转变中国传统出口贸易发展路径的若干建议。     

Free trade agreements in a small,open country: The case of Norway

Negotiating free trade agreements (FTAs) has been a high political priority for Norway. Today, it has agreements with 41 countries outside the European Union (EU)/the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), resulting in one of the world's most extensive FTA networks. FTAs cover about 10% of Norway's trade—a share likely to increase in the future. These agreements eliminate tariffs on a substantial number of traded products and have gradually become more comprehensive, covering an expanding range of non‐tariff areas. Hence, they may have trade‐promoting effects beyond tariff reductions as such. On the other hand, the non‐tariff provisions often do not go further than what has already been dealt with in other international agreements or practised domestically, so their overall effect may be limited.     

The effect of WTO on the extensive and the intensive margins of trade

We use 6-digit bilateral trade data to document the effect of WTO/GATT membership on the extensive and intensive product margins of trade. We construct gravity equations for the two product margins motivated by Chaney (2008). The empirical results show that standard gravity variables provide good explanatory power for bilateral trade on both margins. Importantly, we show that the impact of the WTO is concentrated almost exclusively on the extensive product margin of trade, i.e. trade in goods that were not previously traded. In our preferred specification, WTO membership increases the extensive margin of exports by 25%. At the same time, WTO membership has a negative impact on the intensive margin. Based on novel comparative statics results about how fixed and variable trade costs impact the product margins of trade, our results suggest that WTO membership works by reducing primarily the fixed rather than the variable costs of trade.     

高新技术产品对外贸易对我国就业技能结构影响的实证分析

高新技术产品对外贸易是技术外溢的渠道,它能引起技能偏向性技术改变,从而对劳动力技能产生引致需求。文章通过建立计量模型,分别考察在短期内高新技术产品贸易对我国就业技能结构的影响以及在长期内除高新技术产品贸易因素之外,其它关键因素对我国就业技能结构的影响,并根据其结论为我国改善就业技能结构提出合理政策建议。     

国际贸易与环境——相关假说的评述

国际贸易对环境的影响问题在自由贸易论者与环境保护论者之间,引发了激烈的争论。自由贸易论者认为自由贸易将使环境质量得以改善,而环境保护论者则认为贸易自由化会导致环境质量的退化。在双方的争论过程中,形成了国际贸易对环境影响的几个假说。本文对这几个假说进行了简要评述,并指出了其合理性及存在的缺陷。     

The optimal tax on antebellum US cotton exports

The US produced about 80% of the world’s cotton in the decades prior to the Civil War. How much monopoly power did the US possess in the world cotton market and what would have been the effect of an optimal export tax? This paper estimates the elasticity of foreign demand for US cotton exports and uses the elasticity in a simple partial equilibrium model to calculate the optimal export tax and its effect on prices, trade, and welfare. The results indicate that the export demand elasticity for US cotton was about −1.7 and that the optimal export tax of about 50% would have raised US welfare by about $10 million, about 0.3% of US GDP or about 1% of the South’s GDP.     

Education bias of trade liberalization and wage inequality in developing countries

The aim of this article is to examine the impact of increased trade on wage inequality in developing countries, and whether a higher human capital stock moderates this effect. We look at the skilled–unskilled wage differential. When better educated societies open up their economies, increased trade is likely to induce less inequality on impact because the supply of skills better matches demand. But greater international exposure also brings about technological diffusion, further raising skilled labour demand. This may raise wage inequality, in contrast to the initial egalitarian level effect of human capital. We attempt to measure these two opposing forces. We also employ a broad set of indicators to measure trade liberalization policies as well as general openness, which is an outcome, and not a policy variable. We further examine what type of education most reduces inequality. Our findings suggest that countries with a higher level of initial human capital do well on the inequality front, but human capital which accrues through the trade liberalization channel has inegalitarian effects. Our results also have implications for the speed at which trade policies are liberalized, the implication being that better educated nations should liberalize faster.     

The Effect of GATT/WTO on Export and Import Price Volatility

Despite much interest and discussion concerning the trade‐promoting effects of membership in multilateral trade agreements, little is known about the effect of membership on world trade prices. This paper fills this gap by studying the effects of membership on export and import price volatility. We document a surprisingly strong and robust empirical regularity: GATT/WTO membership reduces the volatility of prices over time for both import and export countries, with similar results found for free trade agreements. We show that results are not driven by sample selection or endogeneity concerns and that the effect is captured by members subject to rigorous accession procedures.     

From the Soviet Union to the European Union: Estonian Trade Policy, 1991–2000

This paper examines the political economy of Estonian trade policy in the 1990s. Estonia is a unique case in the world economy, in that the country rapidly implemented unilateral free trade after regaining independence and sustained it right through the 1990s. We analyse the circumstances, interests, ideas and institutions that have shaped Estonian trade policy during the past decade. Our stress is on institutions, particularly the national decision‐making setting for trade policy. Through this prism we try to understand how a free trade regime was implemented and sustained, and what this experience suggests for the feasibility of tree trade elsewhere. We also look at the increasingly ‘multi‐track’ nature of Estonian trade policy through bilateral free trade agreements, WTO accession and, especially, the movement towards EU accession. Although the other trade policy tracks to some extent provide a lockin for unilateral reforms, we argue that EU accession is undermining the simple, classical liberal trade policy regime that existed during the 1990s.     

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS AND BUSINESS SELF-REGULATION THROUGH VOLUNTARY CODES OF PRACTICE

The encouragement contained in the Fair Trading Act 1973 for the development of voluntary Codes of Practice has created an important new role for trade associations in a number of trades. It has been the responsibility of trade associations to establish the content of the Codes and appropriate mediation and conciliation services. In addition, they have promoted the Codes, monitored their effects, and enforced their provisions where necessary. It appears that the additional costs incurred by most trade associations in this work have not been unduly large. In return they have benefited through an increase in their role and standing both inside and outside the trade. There appears also to have been a greater cohesiveness within the trade. However, where the impact of Codes of Practice has been less than hopeful, it appears that failure to set and enforce high standards, often arising from a lack of resources and independence on the part of the trade association, was an important factor. Thus successful Codes of Practice require strong and effective trade associations, and trade associations also benefit from a successful Code of Practice. However, it is also important to ensure that Codes of Practice are not used as a means of reducing, in various ways, the extent of competition in a trade.