Auf beiden Seiten des Atlantiks entstehen bzw. erweitern sich Handelsblöcke, die jeweils auf ein wirtschaftliches Zentrum ausgerichtet sind: die EU auf der östlichen und die USA auf der westlichen Seite. Handelspolitisch stehen die Blöcke unter dem Dach der Welthandelsorganisation WTO; dies...

Über die Frage, ob Sozialstandards mit der Handelspolitik verknüpft werden sollten, wird seit langem auf internationaler Ebene heftig gestritten. Einige Industrieländer fordern die Aufnahme sozialpolitischer Regelungen in die Welthandelsordnung WTO. Zahlreiche Entwicklungsländer lehnen es...

The paper uses a comprehensive data set with bilateral direct investment flows and establishes the influence of the de-facto exchange rate regime for FDI flows. We find a strong and significant effect from fixed rates on bilateral FDI flows in developed economies, but no significant effect for...

We focus on investor-state dispute settlement provisions contained in various, though far from all, bilateral investment treaties as a possible determinant of BIT-related effects on bilateral FDI flows. Our estimation results prove to be sensitive to the specification of these provisions as well...

The paper analyses the impact of fundamental labor rights on bilateral FDI flows to 82 developing countries. The results indicate that investments by multinationals are significantly higher in countries that adhere to labor rights, thereby refuting the hypothesis that repression of these rights...

This paper analyses the impact of aid flows on governance. Using an instrumental variable approach and a large country sample, we find that aid has a negative rather than a positive influence on governance. This outcome is robust to various model specifications.

Policymakers in developing countries have increasingly pinned their hopes on bilateral investment treaties (BITs) in order to improve their chances in the worldwide competition for foreign direct investment (FDI). However, the effectiveness of BITs in inducing higher FDI inflows is still open to...

Policymakers in developing countries have increasingly pinned their hopes on bilateral investment treaties (BITs) in order to improve their chances in the worldwide competition for foreign direct investment (FDI). However, the effectiveness of BITs in inducing higher FDI inflows is still open to...

The article discusses some of the most important reasons for the poor growth performance of most countries in sub-Saharan Africa. While high protection levels in high-income countries in Europe and North America for agricultural trade have been cited as a major impediment for the development of...