Gravity Model Applications and Macroeconomic Perspectives

This dissertation was prepared by Jasmin Gröschl and is a collection of five self-contained empirical essays. They aim at contributing to the understanding of non-standard determinants of trade and migration: historical and cultural characteristics in the United States (Chapter 1), policy-induced regulations in agricultural and food products (Chapter 2), and natural disasters (Chapter 3); and how international integration of countries shapes economic growth and helps to contain the costs of natural disasters: trade openness and income per capita (Chapter 4), and natural disasters, international integration, and economic growth (Chapter 5).