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Transparency, trade costs, and regional integration in the Asia Pacific

Author

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  • Helble, Matthias
  • Shepherd, Ben
  • Wilson, John S.

Abstract

The authors show in this paper that increasing the transparency of the trading environment can be an important complement to traditional liberalization of tariff and non-tariff barriers. Our definition of transparency is grounded in a transaction cost analysis. The authors focus on two dimensions of transparency: predictability (reducing the cost of uncertainty) and simplification (reducing information costs). Using the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies as a case study, the authors construct indices of importer and exporter transparency for the region from a wide range of sources. Our results from a gravity model suggest that improving trade-related transparency in APEC could hold significant benefits by raising intra-APEC trade by proximately USD 148 billion or 7.5 pecent of baseline trade in the region.

Suggested Citation

  • Helble, Matthias & Shepherd, Ben & Wilson, John S., 2007. "Transparency, trade costs, and regional integration in the Asia Pacific," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4401, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:4401
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Yann Duval & Chorthip Utoktham, 2009. "Behind-the-Border Trade Facilitation in Asia-Pacific: Cost of Trade, Credit Information, Contract Enforcement and Regulatory Coherence," Working Paper Series 209, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
    2. Velea, Irina & Cadot, Olivier & Wilson, John S., 2010. "Do private inspection programs affect trade facilitation ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5515, The World Bank.
    3. Francois, Joseph & Manchin, Miriam, 2013. "Institutions, Infrastructure, and Trade," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 165-175.
    4. Prabir De, 2009. "Global economic and financial crisis: India’s trade potential and future prospects," Working Papers 6409, Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT), an initiative of UNESCAP and IDRC, Canada..
    5. Vaqar, Ahmed & Ghulam, Samad, 2011. "Trade facilitation for economic corridors in South Asia: the perspective of Pakistan," MPRA Paper 31368, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Thomas Orliac, 2012. "The economics of trade facilitation [L'économie de la facilitation des échanges]," Sciences Po Economics Publications (main) tel-03681980, HAL.
    7. Yann Duval & Chorthip Utoktham, 2011. "Intraregional Trade Costs in Asia: A Primer," Asia-Pacific Development Journal, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), vol. 18(2), pages 1-23, December.
    8. Lili Yan Ing & Olivier Cadot, 2016. "Facilitating ASEAN Trade in Goods," Working Papers DP-2016-20, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).

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