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How effective are preferential trade agreements? Ask the experts

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  • Julia Gray
  • Jonathan Slapin

Abstract

Limited data on regional and preferential trade agreements prevent social scientists from testing some of the international cooperation literature’s most important claims. Expert surveys—a technique that is widely used in the field of comparative politics but thus far underutilized in international relations—allow us to capture many aspects of trade agreements for which data would otherwise be unavailable. They also provide us with a means of comparing agreements across regions and issue areas. We present a new dataset of expert opinion on the world’s regional trade organizations. Our survey covers 24 dimensions of 40 different regional agreements—including the perceived effectiveness of trade liberalization, the degree to which dispute settlement mechanisms are easy to use, and the political and international influence of the agreement. Bayesian factor analysis allows us to extract a principal dimension of effectiveness. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012

Suggested Citation

  • Julia Gray & Jonathan Slapin, 2012. "How effective are preferential trade agreements? Ask the experts," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 309-333, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:revint:v:7:y:2012:i:3:p:309-333
    DOI: 10.1007/s11558-011-9138-1
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    2. Libman, Alexander & Vinokurov, Evgeny, 2016. "Региональные Организации: Типы И Логика Развития [Regional Organizations: Typology and Development Paths]," MPRA Paper 79383, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. William Phelan, 2015. "Enforcement and Escape in the Andean Community: Why the Andean Community of Nations is Not a Replica of the European Union," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(4), pages 840-856, July.
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    6. Takaaki Masaki & Bradley C. Parks, 2020. "When do performance assessments influence policy behavior? Micro-evidence from the 2014 Reform Efforts Survey," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 371-408, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    International organization; Regional trade agreements; C11; F13; F53;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C11 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Bayesian Analysis: General
    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • F53 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Agreements and Observance; International Organizations

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