This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Regional Agreements and Welfare in the South: When Scale Economies in Transport Matter

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Céline CARRERE () (Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches sur le Développement International)

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

This paper focuses on two issues that challenge the accepted pessimistic view that regional trade agreements (RTAs) between developing countries in welfare terms by taking into account scale economies in transport. First, how is the standard welfare analysis of an RTA affected by the endogeneity of transport costs (i.e. by the joint determination of trade quantities and transport costs)? Second, what are the long-run consequences of endogenous transport costs for welfare if worldwide free trade is achieved through RTAs? A standard model of inter and intra-industry trade is augmented by a "hub-and-spoke" transport network structure, where the standard "iceberg" transport cost model is contrasted with one in which transport costs depend on the distance between trade partners, the volume of trade, and the level of development. Under a plausible parameterization for scale economies in transport, regional liberalization will have persistent effect on trade flows through an irreversible effect on regional transport costs that improves welfare. Free trade achieved under an RTA leads to permanently higher welfare than under multilateral liberalization.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://publi.cerdi.org/ed/2007/2007.26.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by CERDI in its series Working Papers with number 200726.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length: 37
Date of creation: 2007
Date of revision:
Publication status: Published in , 2005, pages
Handle: RePEc:cdi:wpaper:927

Contact details of provider:
Postal: 65 Bd. F. Mitterrand, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand
Phone: (33-4) 73 17 74 00
Fax: (33-4) 73 17 74 28
Web page: http://cerdi.org/
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Vincent Mazenod).

Related research
Keywords: Economies of Scale; Transport Costs; Welfare; developing countries; regional integration;

Other versions of this item:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Hummels, David, 2001. "Time as a Trade Barrier," GTAP Working Papers 1152, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University. [Downloadable!]
  2. Djankov, Simeon & Freund, Caroline & Pham, Cong S., 2006. "Trading on time," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3909, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  3. James E. Anderson & Eric van Wincoop, 2004. "Trade Costs," NBER Working Papers 10480, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Dollar, David & Micco, Alejandro & Clark, Ximena, 2002. "Maritime transport costs and port efficiency," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2781, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  5. Baier, Scott L. & Bergstrand, Jeffrey H., 2004. "Economic determinants of free trade agreements," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 29-63, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Fink, Carsten & Mattoo, Aaditya & Neagu, Ileana Cristina, 2001. "Trade in international maritime services : how much does policy matter?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2522, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Caroline Freund, 2000. "Different Paths To Free Trade: The Gains From Regionalism," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 115(4), pages 1317-1341, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Paul Krugman, 1991. "The move toward free trade zones," Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, issue Nov, pages 5-25. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Busse, Matthias, 2003. "Tariffs, Transport Costs and the WTO Doha Round: The Case of Developing Countries," Estey Centre Journal of International Law and Trade Policy, Estey Centre for Law and Economics in International Trade, vol. 4(1). [Downloadable!]
  10. Paul Collier & Jan Willem Gunning, 1999. "Explaining African Economic Performance," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 37(1), pages 64-111, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  11. Frankel, Jeffrey A & Stein, Ernesto & Wei, Shang-Jin, 1996. "Regional Trading Arrangements: Natural or Supernatural," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(2), pages 52-56, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  12. Limao, Nuno & Venables, Anthony J., 1999. "Infrastructure, geographical disadvantage, and transport costs," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2257, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
Full references

Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? To receive notification of recent additions to the database, subscribe to the free NEP reports.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-25.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.