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Services Trade Restrictiveness, Mark-Ups and Competition

Author

Listed:
  • Dorothée Rouzet

    (OECD)

  • Francesca Spinelli

    (OECD)

Abstract

This report explores the relationship between services trade policies and mark-ups at the firm level, taken as a measure of competitive pressure. Restrictive regulations are found to enable firms to charge higher mark-ups in a majority of services sectors, suggesting ample scope for pro-competitive gains from trade liberalisation. Barriers to establishment consistently enable incumbent firms shielded from competition to raise their prices, while a lack of regulatory transparency and complex administrative procedures tend to add to all firms’ operating expenses. A “tax equivalent” of trade-restrictive regulations is then inferred from the abnormal price-cost margin of domestic firms in each service sector. These estimates indicate the magnitude of the welfare costs of regulatory trade restrictions across sectors and countries. The sectors with the highest average tax equivalents of STRI indices are broadcasting, construction, storage, and air and maritime transport, while those with the lowest averages are road transport, architecture and cargo-handling. There is however considerable variation between countries in all sectors.

Suggested Citation

  • Dorothée Rouzet & Francesca Spinelli, 2016. "Services Trade Restrictiveness, Mark-Ups and Competition," OECD Trade Policy Papers 194, OECD Publishing.
  • Handle: RePEc:oec:traaab:194-en
    DOI: 10.1787/5jln7dlm3931-en
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Francesca Spinelli & Dorothée Rouzet & Hongyong Zhang, 2020. "Networks of foreign affiliates: Evidence from Japanese micro‐data," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(7), pages 1841-1867, July.
    2. Benz, Sebastian & Jaax, Alexander, 2019. "Quantifying the costs of regulatory barriers to trade in services: New estimates of ad valorem equivalents based on the OECD STRI," Conference papers 333096, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    3. Lukman OYELAMI & Amara ZONGO, 2022. "Modeling the Impact of Non-Tariff Barriers in Services on Intra-African Trade: Global Trade Analysis Project Model," Bordeaux Economics Working Papers 2022-08, Bordeaux School of Economics (BSE).
    4. Anirudh Shingal, 2023. "Mode 4 restrictiveness and services trade," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 159(3), pages 757-786, August.
    5. Lodefalk, Magnus & Kyvik Nordås, Hildegunn, 2017. "Trading firms and trading costs in services: The case of Sweden," Working Papers 2017:4, Örebro University, School of Business.
    6. Anirudh Shingal, 2021. "COVID-19 and Services Trade in ASEAN+6: Implications and Estimates from Structural Gravity," Working Papers DP-2021-02, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    7. Zongo, Amara, 2020. "The Impact of Services Trade Restrictiveness on Food Trade," MPRA Paper 101658, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Zongo, Amara, 2021. "The impact of services trade restrictiveness on food trade," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 71-94.
    9. Andre Jungmittag & Robert Marschinski, 2023. "Service trade restrictiveness and foreign direct investment—Evidence from greenfield FDI in business services," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(6), pages 1711-1758, June.
    10. Saša Jakšić & Nataša Erjavec & Boris Cota, 2021. "Impact of regulatory trade barriers and controls of the movement of capital and people on international trade of selected Central, Eastern and Southeastern European economies," Central European Journal of Operations Research, Springer;Slovak Society for Operations Research;Hungarian Operational Research Society;Czech Society for Operations Research;Österr. Gesellschaft für Operations Research (ÖGOR);Slovenian Society Informatika - Section for Operational Research;Croatian Operational Research Society, vol. 29(3), pages 891-907, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    competition; regulation; services trade restrictions; trade liberalisation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • F61 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Microeconomic Impacts
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L8 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services
    • L9 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities

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