Transaction costs are a major reason why international trade flows are much smaller than traditional trade theory would … suggest. Trust between trading partners lowers transaction costs and may therefore enhance trade. The empirical analysis of … this paper shows that more trust leads to more trade so that part of the mystery of missing trade can be attributed to the …

We construct a dynamic theory of civil conflict hinging on inter-ethnic trust and trade. The model economy is … inhabitated by two ethnic groups. Inter-ethnic trade requires imperfectly observed bilateral investments and one group has to form … beliefs on the average propensity to trade of the other group. Since confict disrupts trade, the onset of a conflict signals …