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The design of preferential trade agreements: A new dataset in the Making

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  • Baccini, Leonardo
  • Dür, Andreas
  • Elsig, Manfred
  • Milewicz, Karolina

Abstract

Since 1990 the number of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) has increased very rapidly. This paper aims to contribute to this literature by presenting a new database on PTAs called Design of Trade Agreements (DESTA). We identified a total of 690 negotiated trade agreements between 1945 and 2009 of which we have coded 404 agreements for which treaty texts and appendices were available. We aim to have a database for about 550 agreements by 2012. We have coded agreements for a total of 10 broad sectors of cooperation, encompassing market access, services, investments, intellectual property rights, competition, public procurement, standards, trade remedies, non-trade issues, and dispute settlement. For each of these sectors, we have coded a significant number of items, meaning that we have about 100 data points for each agreement. The resulting DESTA database is to the best of our knowledge by far the most complete in terms of agreements and sectors covered. This dataset fills a crucial gap in the field by providing a fine-grain measurement of the design of PTAs. Among others, we think that DESTA will be of relevance for the literatures on the signing of PTAs; the legalization of international relations; the rational design of international institutions; the diffusion of policies; the political and economic effects of trade agreements; power relations between states; and forum shopping in international politics. This working paper describes the DESTA data set and provides selected descriptive statistics. The overview puts emphasis on variation in design over time and across regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Baccini, Leonardo & Dür, Andreas & Elsig, Manfred & Milewicz, Karolina, 2011. "The design of preferential trade agreements: A new dataset in the Making," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2011-10, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:wtowps:ersd201110
    DOI: 10.30875/421bd57e-en
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    Cited by:

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    2. Valdés, Raymundo & Tavengwa, Runyowa, 2012. "Intellectual property provisions in regional trade agreements," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2012-21, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    3. Valdés, Raymundo & McCann, Maegan, 2014. "Intellectual property provisions in regional trade agreements: Revision and update," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2014-14, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    4. TN Srinivasan, 2013. "Trends and Impacts of Real and Financial Globalization in the People's Republic of China and India since the 1980s," Asian Development Review, MIT Press, vol. 30(1), pages 1-30, March.
    5. Tristan Kohl & Steven Brakman & Harry Garretsen, 2016. "Do Trade Agreements Stimulate International Trade Differently? Evidence from 296 Trade Agreements," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(1), pages 97-131, January.

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    Keywords

    preferential trade agreements;

    JEL classification:

    • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration

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