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The Growth Effects of EU Membership for the UK: a Review of the Evidence

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  • Crafts, Nicholas

    (University of Warwick)

Abstract

This paper reviews the literature on the implications of EU membership for the UK. It concludes that membership has raised UK income levels appreciably and by much more than 1970s’ proponents of EU entry predicted. These positive effects stem from the EU’s success in increasing trade and the impact of stronger competition on UK productivity. The economic benefits of EU membership for the UK have far exceeded the costs of budgetary transfers and regulation. Brexit is risky and its impact would depend heavily on the terms negotiated and the use made of the policy space that it freed up.

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  • Crafts, Nicholas, 2016. "The Growth Effects of EU Membership for the UK: a Review of the Evidence," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 280, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    • Handle: RePEc:cge:wacage:280
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    File URL: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/research/centres/cage/manage/publications/280-2016_crafts.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas Sampson, 2017. "Brexit: The Economics of International Disintegration," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 31(4), pages 163-184, Fall.
    2. Raffaele Giammetti, 2019. "Tariffs, Domestic Import Substitution and Trade Diversion in Input-Output Production Networks: how to deal with Brexit," Mo.Fi.R. Working Papers 152, Money and Finance Research group (Mo.Fi.R.) - Univ. Politecnica Marche - Dept. Economic and Social Sciences.
    3. Ansgar Belke & Irina Dubova & Thomas Osowski, 2018. "Policy uncertainty and international financial markets: the case of Brexit," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(34-35), pages 3752-3770, July.
    4. Sascha O Becker & Thiemo Fetzer & Dennis Novy, 2017. "Who voted for Brexit? A comprehensive district-level analysis," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 32(92), pages 601-650.
    5. Simionescu, Mihaela, 2017. "The Influence of Brexit on the Foreign Direct Investment Projects and Inflows in the United Kingdom," GLO Discussion Paper Series 68, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    6. Muhammad Ibrahim Shah, 2021. "Investigating the Role of Regional Economic Integration on Growth: Fresh Insights from South Asia," Global Journal of Emerging Market Economies, Emerging Markets Forum, vol. 13(1), pages 35-57, January.
    7. Crafts, Nicholas, 2017. "The Postwar British Productivity Failure," Economic Research Papers 269090, University of Warwick - Department of Economics.
    8. Halmai, Péter, 2020. "A dezintegráció gazdaságtana. A brexit esete [The economics of disintegration. The case of Brexit]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(9), pages 837-877.
    9. Iain Begg, 2017. "Making Sense of the Costs and Benefits of Brexit: Challenges for Economists," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 45(3), pages 299-315, September.
    10. Campos, Nauro F. & Eichenauer, Vera Z. & Sturm, Jan-Egbert, 2020. "Close encounters of the European kind: Economic integration, sectoral heterogeneity and structural reforms," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    11. João Alves Bento & António Portugal Duarte, 2020. "Brexit: An Exploratory Analysis of the Macroeconomic Effects on the British Economy," Scientific Annals of Economics and Business (continues Analele Stiintifice), Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, vol. 67(si), pages 69-85, December.
    12. Swati Dhingra & Hanwei Huang & Gianmarco Ottaviano & João Paulo Pessoa & Thomas Sampson & John Van Reenen, 2017. "The costs and benefits of leaving the EU: trade effects," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 32(92), pages 651-705.
    13. International Monetary Fund, 2016. "United Kingdom: Selected Issues," IMF Staff Country Reports 2016/169, International Monetary Fund.
    14. John Van Reenen, 2016. "Brexit's Long-Run Effects on the U.K. Economy," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 47(2 (Fall)), pages 367-383.
    15. Victor Suslov & Naimdzhon Ibragimov & Larisa Mel'nikova, 2018. "Coalition Analysis and Effects of Regional Integration," Economy of region, Centre for Economic Security, Institute of Economics of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, vol. 1(4), pages 1131-1144.
    16. Giammetti, Raffaele, 2019. "Tariffs, Domestic Import Substitution and Trade Diversion in Input-Output Production Networks: how to deal with Brexit," MPRA Paper 92835, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Begg, Iain, 2017. "Making sense of the costs and benefits of Brexit: challenges for economists," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 83587, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    18. Xiaoqing An & William A. Barnett & Xue Wang & Qingyuan Wu, 2023. "Brexit spillovers: how economic policy uncertainty affects foreign direct investment and international trade," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(16), pages 1913-1932, November.
    19. Ken Coutts & Graham Gudgin & Jordan Buchanan, 2018. "How the Economics Profession Got It Wrong on Brexit," Working Papers wp493, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    20. Sae Won Chung & Yongmin Kim, 2019. "The Truth behind the Brexit Vote: Clearing away Illusion after Two Years of Confusion," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-16, September.
    21. Petros E. Ioannatos, 2021. "Brexit or Euro for the UK? Evidence from Panel Data," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 63(1), pages 117-138, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Brexit; competition; income levels; SingleMarket; trade costs. JEL Classification: F15; N14; N74.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration
    • N14 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Europe: 1913-

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