Different Models for Regional Integration: Lessons from Total Factor Productivity in Europe

The European experience offers three possible models for regional integration: a free trade arrangement, a single market, and a common currency area. This paper examines the effect of regional integration on total factor productivity to assess the long-run growth implications of each model. The findings suggest that joining a regional grouping changes the way participating economies grow. Of the three models, the free trade arrangement is found to be the most effective in promoting intra-regional dependence on R&D spillovers. The other two models are associated with largely negative windfall effects on total factor productivity.