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Regional Trade Agreements and Enterprises in Southeast Asia

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  • Ganeshan Wignaraja

    (Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI))

Abstract

The spread of regional trade agreements (RTAs) in Southeast Asia has ignited a debate about their impact on business, and ways to avoid raising the business costs from the Asian ‘noodle bowl’ effect. This paper undertakes a comparative and firm-level analysis of the impact of RTAs in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines including : a descriptive analysis of patterns of RTA use at the firm level and econometric analysis of factors affecting firm-level RTA use. The paper finds that firm-heterogeneity matters in RTA use. Acquiring knowledge about RTAs through in-house efforts and actively forging links with RTA support institutions, building technological capabilities, and membership of industrial clusters show up as significant factors affecting the likelihood of firm-level RTA use. A lack of information about RTAs and the absence of RTAs with major trading partners are the main reasons for non-use of RTAs. Key policy implications include the need to improve business support for RTAs, to conclude RTAs with major trading partners, and to create a database on preference use in RTAs.

Suggested Citation

  • Ganeshan Wignaraja, 2013. "Regional Trade Agreements and Enterprises in Southeast Asia," Trade Working Papers 23718, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:eab:tradew:23718
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Lee, Il Houng & Park, Yung Chul, 2014. "Use of National Currencies for Trade Settlement in East Asia: A Proposal," ADBI Working Papers 474, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    2. Ramstetter, Eric D. & Archanun, Kohpaiboon, 2015. "The Effects of the ASEAN Economic Community 2015 on Industries in Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki," AGI Working Paper Series 2015-04, Asian Growth Research Institute.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Regional Trade Agreements; Southeast Asia; the business costs of RTA; firm-level RTA use;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D

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