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The Border Labyrinth: Information Technologies and Trade in the Presence of Multiple Agencies

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  • Carballo, Jerónimo
  • Graziano, Alejandro
  • Schaur, Georg
  • Volpe Martincus, Christian

Abstract

Firms selling products abroad usually have to interact with several borderagencies that develop multiple trade regulations and oversee their compliance. These regulations establish the procedures that these firms have to follow and the documents that they have to obtain, fill in, and submit for their exports to be authorized. In this paper, we estimate the effects of introducing information technologies as a new means to complete such traderelated procedures. In particular, we use highly disaggregated firm-level export data from Costa Rica over the period 2007-2013 and exploit the gradual phase-in of an electronic trade single window scheme across groups of products and ports. Results suggest that this new system has been associated with both an expansion in the number of exporting firms and increased firms' exports along the shipment extensive margin and the buyer extensive and intensive margins.

Suggested Citation

  • Carballo, Jerónimo & Graziano, Alejandro & Schaur, Georg & Volpe Martincus, Christian, 2016. "The Border Labyrinth: Information Technologies and Trade in the Presence of Multiple Agencies," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 7691, Inter-American Development Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:idb:brikps:7691
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jerónimo Carballo & Ignacio Marra de Artiñano & Christian Volpe Martincus, 2021. "Information Frictions, Investment Promotion, and Multinational Production: Firm-Level Evidence," CESifo Working Paper Series 9043, CESifo.
    2. Md Deluair Hossen, 2023. "Financing Costs, Per-Shipment Costs and Shipping Frequency: Firm-Level Evidence from Bangladesh," Papers 2303.04223, arXiv.org.
    3. Carballo, Jerónimo & Schaur, Georg & Graziano, Alejandro & Volpe Martincus, Christian, 2016. "Transit Trade," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 7688, Inter-American Development Bank.
    4. Jerónimo Carballo & Alejandro Graziano & Georg Schaur & Christian Volpe Martincus, 2021. "Import Processing and Trade Costs," CESifo Working Paper Series 9170, CESifo.
    5. Jerónimo Carballo & Georg Schaur & Alejandro Graziano & Christian Volpe Martincus, 2016. "Transit Trade," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 94658, Inter-American Development Bank.
    6. Laajaj, Rachid & Eslava, Marcela & Kinda, Tidiane, 2023. "The costs of bureaucracy and corruption at customs: Evidence from the computerization of imports in Colombia," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).
    7. Takashi Hiraide & Shinya Hanaoka & Takuma Matsuda, 2022. "The Efficiency of Document and Border Procedures for International Trade," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-21, July.
    8. Volpe Martincus, Christian, 2016. "Out of the Border Labyrinth: An Assessment of Trade Facilitation Initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean," IDB Publications (Books), Inter-American Development Bank, number 7994.
    9. Aggarwal, Aradhna, 2020. "The Concept, Evolution, Impacts and Critical Success Factors of Regional Economic Corridors," MPRA Paper 110706, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 16 Nov 2021.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Trade costs; trade; exporting firms; customs; Exports Growth;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade

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