Les transactions de la mondialisation

This paper studies the aggregate sum of transaction costs paid in world trade. In the first part, it presents the different methods of computing transaction costs, based on national accounts, price studies or movement of goods. All suggest that transaction costs are considerable. Gravity equations are the most reliable of the tools available, yet they allow only the computation of their value relative to other trade costs. In the second part, the paper studies the historical evolution of transaction costs. Gravity equations do not provide many clues on this subject. The evolution of transaction inputs indicates that transaction costs associated with an unchanging exchange have declined. However the study of the type of goods traded and of the partners and channels of exchange shows that this movement was counterbalanced by the increasing prevalence of high-transaction cost exchanges in world trade.