Trade Liberalization and Labor Unions

The present note builds a two-country model of Cournot oligopoly with country-specific labor unions. The impact of trade liberalization on wages and its consequent impact on union behavior and trade patterns are examined. We show that the union with relatively fewer number of firms will face the stronger pressure for wage moderation when trade is liberalized. We use this result to construct a simple example in which a country with higher autarky price becomes a net exporter of that good. We also discuss that our results are critically dependent on the mode of competition between firms.     

Resistance to Trade Liberalization in Unionized Sector

This paper studies the lobbying against trade liberalization by both a firm and a union in the same industry. We find that the relationship between their political activities depends on the effect of political activity by one on the marginal effectiveness of political activity by the other. We also show that, when they are strongly risk-averse and their political activities are strategic complements, trade liberalization is likely to be successful if business is brisk, the foreign firm's production cost is high or the number of union members is small. However, when they are not strongly risk-averse, these results hold reversely.     

贸易自由化模式与中国的比较优势

对双边自由贸易组织的现实合理性及其过渡性分析发现,基于经济利益的考虑,亚洲的发展中国家和地区倾向于选择双边先行的自由贸易体制。要获得更大的贸易收益,中国必须积极主动融入到区域经济一体化进程。在贸易收益只取决于相对偏好和相对人口比例大小的条件下,中国和东盟建立自由贸易区符合国家战略的必然选择,同时中国应加快实施战略性贸易政策,扶植高新技术产业,促进经济结构升级,在东亚经济一体化进程中掌握先发的制度优势和技术优势。     

中国-东盟服务贸易自由化程度的评估与分析

《中国—东盟全面经济合作框架协议服务贸易协议》的签署开启了中国与东盟服务贸易自由化的进程。本文评估了中国-东盟服务贸易自由化的程度,并与韩国-东盟、澳新-东盟服务贸易自由化程度进行比较,说明中国-东盟服务贸易自由化的特征。通过RCA指标测量了中国与东盟各国服务贸易总体竞争力和部门竞争力,以说明中国与东盟服务贸易自由化程度及其相关性,从而揭示中国-东盟服务贸易自由化的前景。     

Macroeconomic Volatility, Trade and Financial Liberalization in Africa

This paper examines the effects of financial and trade liberalization on growth volatility of real output and consumption in Africa. Our results suggest trade liberalization is associated with greater output and consumption growth volatility while financial liberalization increases the efficacy of consumption smoothing and stabilizes income and consumption growth. In addition, we find financial market depth and institutional quality operate jointly with trade and financial openness to reduce volatility in output and consumption growth. There is also evidence that good institutions which foster low inflation levels and volatility promote consumption and output growth stability.     

贸易自由化进程的国家利益分析

文章以国家利益为视角,分析从GATT到WTO的贸易自由化进程,说明国家利益是贸易自由化的内在动力,中国在贸易自由化进程中既要遵循国际惯例,更要遵循“国家利益原则”。     

Trade Agreements,Trade Liberalization and Economic Growth: A Selective Survey

Since 1950 there has been a massive liberalization of world trade taking various forms including the formation of free trade areas, customs unions, unilateral reductions in tariff barriers, and reductions in non‐tariff barriers to trade. To what extent has this liberalization contributed to the growth performance of countries, and what are the mechanisms through which faster export growth may impact favourably on economic growth? The paper first surveys the empirical literature which seems to show that countries that participate in regional trading agreements (RTAs) fare worse than countries which reduce tariffs unilaterally, and secondly comments on the theoretical literature relating to the mechanisms through which exports affect growth. It is argued that the orthodox neoclassical supply‐side argument is only half the story, and much more emphasis needs to be placed on the effect of export performance in relaxing a balance of payments constraint on demand. Depuis 1950, le commerce mondial a connu une libéralisation considérable qui a pris diverses formes: formation de zones de libre‐échange, d’unions douanières, abaissement unilatéral des barrières tarifaires et réduction des barrières non tarifaires. Dans quelle mesure cette libéralisation a‐t‐elle contribuéà la croissance des pays et par quels mécanismes une expansion plus rapide des exportations peut‐elle influencer positivement la croissance économique? Le document passe d’abord en revue le littérature empirique qui semble démontrer que les pays qui participent à des accords commerciaux régionaux (ACR) sont en pire posture que ceux qui abaissent unilatéralement les barrières tarifaires. Le document formule ensuite des observations sur la littérature théorique concernant les mécanismes par lesquels les exportations influent sur la croissance. Il soutient que l’argument néoclassique orthodoxe axé sur l’offre n’explique pas tout, et qu’un accent plus appuyé doit à tre mis sur l’effet que les résultats à l’exportation, en tant que facteur d’atténuation des problèmes de la balance des paiements, peuvent avoir sur la demande.     

多边自由化?双边自由化?——澳大利亚的贸易自由化策略评析

一国的贸易政策一般包括三个方面:多边贸易政策、区域贸易政策以及双边贸易政策。每个国家的贸易政策都有自己追求的目标,但是其制订和实施又要受到国内、国际条件的约束,因此显示出不同的特色,效果也不同。本文主要分析了新千年之后澳大利亚贸易政策策略变化的原因、效果及其所面临的问题和挑战。     

我国服务贸易与经济增长关系研究

服务贸易在对外贸易中的作用越来越重要。对1982—2011年相关数据进行协整检验和Granger因果检验,发现服务贸易进出口与我国GDP之间的关系不对称：服务贸易进出口是我国GDP增长的Granger原因,而GDP增长只是服务贸易进口的Granger原因,世界GDP总量是服务贸易出口的Granger原因,这说明我国服务贸易出口增长更多得益于全球经济增长。     

美国的金融自由化与经济虚拟化

本文阐述美国金融自由化政策与经济虚拟化的关系。美国经济虚拟化的核心是杠杆机制、金融创新机制,以及债务—美元体系下的国际资本自由流动。2008年美国金融危机是经济、金融去杠杆化的危机和美元危机,金融市场没有能力恢复对高杠杆机制的信心,美国经济和美元地位也就相对下降。政府在推行金融自由化政策时,要注重对高杠杆金融活动的管制,对虚拟经济发展进行更系统的干预。     

河北省对外贸易与经济增长关系的实证分析

运用计量经济模型分析河北省对外贸易与经济增长之间的关系,结果表明:对外贸易对河北经济增长有很强的拉动作用,其中出口对经济增长的贡献要高于进口,而净出口对经济增长的作用不明显.     

Globalization, Growth, and the Poor

This paper discusses the possible causal relationships and empirical associations between globalization and growth, growth and poverty reduction, and, finally, globalization and poverty reduction. We argue that globalization can contribute much to poverty reduction both directly and by accelerating growth. Second, the contributions of redistributive policies are very likely to be less than the contribution of greater access to markets, more competitive insurance and financial markets, and improved institutions to poverty reduction. The potential effect of greater international integration on poverty reduction, however, is limited by domestic policy failures in developing countries and also by continued protectionism, particularly in developed countries.     

福建省对外贸易与经济增长的互动关系研究

随着经济全球化进程的加快,国际贸易把各个区域联结得更为紧密。一个地区对外贸易水平的高低体现了其经济发展水平的高低以及融入全球化的能力。本文根据1984-2007年福建省的出口、进口和地区生产总值的数据,运用协整检验、基于VAR模型的Granger因果关系检验、脉冲响应函数等计量方法,研究了福建省对外贸易与经济增长的互动关系,并提出相应的政策建议。     

西藏国内贸易与本地经济增长关系的计量分析

基于2006～2015年时间序列数据,利用计量经济统计方法,考察了西藏国内贸易与本地经济增长之间的关系。经研究发现,西藏国内贸易与本地经济增长的关系是长期均衡的发展关系,且西藏国内贸易是本地经济增长的原因;同时,在影响西藏经济增长的三大需求中,国内贸易的占比最大,由此说明,在促进西藏经济增长的"三驾马车"中,消费比投资、净出口更为显著。     

Who is Better Off from Trade Liberalization? An Experience from Urban China*

Empirical studies have found that the skill wage gap (difference between wages earned by skilled and unskilled workers) narrowed in the case of the ‘Four Asian Dragons’ as they underwent trade liberalization during the 1960s and 1970s, whereas the gap widened in most of the Latin American countries after they liberalized their economies in the 1980s. China's integration into the world economy since 1978 has been used to explain this phenomenon, but few formal studies have been carried out in China regarding the effects of trade liberalization on the skill wage gap because of the limited availability of data. The present study uses unique household surveys conducted in ten provinces of China in 1988 and 1995 to study this issue. Results show that trade liberalization that occurred in China between 1988 and 1995 was responsible for an average increase of 28.73 yuan (approximately 20 percent of the total increase) in average monthly wages. However, trade liberalization significantly widened the urban skill wage gap in China by introducing an increase in income only for those who had 13 years or more of education (at least junior high school graduates). Interestingly, import liberalization also only benefited those who had more than 9 years of schooling; whereas export liberalization brought wage increases for people with 7–12 years of education. Finally, those with specific production skills from technical schools, rather than those with several years of general education, were mostly favored in the labor market in China between 1988 and 1995.     

Trade Liberalization,Economic Restructuring and Urban Poverty: The Case of China*

Increased trade openness and rapid market-oriented transformation have largely altered the patterns of wealth accumulation and wealth distribution in post-reform China. In the present paper, with the help of Chinese provincial level data over the period of 1986 to 2000, simultaneous equations estimation and generalized method of moment techniques are applied to investigate the relationship between trade and poverty in urban China. Empirical results suggest that China's trade liberalization helps to reduce urban poverty both directly and indirectly through its favorable impacts on economic growth.