Participation in global value chains is a key element in the industrialization strategies of many developing nations. This paper investigates the role of services liberalization in promoting participation in global value chains. Using the gravity framework, it examines the impact of services...

This paper brings together three strands of literature on the determinants of international trade − distance, formal, and informal institutions − to explain differences in export performance across countries. Using an augmented gravity model, we find that the importance of formal...

Do regional trade agreements negatively impact non-members? This paper revisits this long-standing trade policy question using firm-level data and detailed information on the content of trade agreements. Differently from the conventional view on trade diversion, the analysis identifies a...

Do regional trade agreements negatively impact non-members? This paper revisits this long-standing trade policy question using firm-level data and detailed information on the content of trade agreements. Differently from the conventional view on trade diversion, the analysis identifies a...

Trade facilitation measures that simplify, modernize, and harmonize export and import processes are particularly important in a world of global value chains where goods cross borders multiple times. At the firm level, trade facilitation commitments in preferential trade agreements can generate...

This paper studies the effects of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement on trade among member countries. It uses the structural gravity model to estimate both the aggregate and heterogeneous effects across countries and sectors. The findings show that the agreement...

Caribbean countries, a set of mostly Small Island Developing States (SIDS), have a history of dealing with large shocks. The region is threatened by both economic and natural hazards. Nations have specialized in tourism and commodity exports, disproportionately exposing them to global economic...