Recent trade policy debates have focused increasingly on the supposed barriers caused by di?ering country regulations, and at proposed remedies such as mutual recognition agreements. There are several motives for setting minimum quality standards in an open economy. This paper examines the...

In this paper we investigate the powerful implications of the Stolper-Samuelson theorem, which uses the Heckscher-Ohlin model to predict strong links between changing trade prices and wage inequalities. We summarise recent work, which shows that these theoretical links are, in fact, far stronger...

We investigate the theoretical relationship between wage concentration and international market integration. Access to imported varieties lowers the cost of intermediate inputs ("machines") used to carry out production tasks, causing workers with different comparative abilities to be sorted...

In light of concerns over the environmental impact of Special Economic Zones located in developing countries, where environmental regulation is weak, we analyse the electricity intensity of firms in SEZs. We use firm level data from Africa and Asia, and we find that SEZ firms have higher...

This paper investigates the deeper integration of the new EU accession states into the Single Market. Building on the assumption that observed trade patterns can be taken to reveal trading costs between members and non-members of a bloc, I develop a model-consistent Dixit-Stiglitz general...

To explore the mixed economic results and huge distributional changes experienced by post-Soviet economies, I set up a series of theoretical and numerical simulation models using an approach based upon heterogeneous firms, where 'reform' means closure of inefficient capacity. In the presence of...

Abstract Using a new set of measures of concentration of trade, I suggest that the opening up of trade to date has been greatly exaggerated. At least judging on the basis of trade concentration, agriculture and service sectors should barely be seen as globalized at all. Contrary to other, recent...

This paper investigates the implications of imperfect information and matching/searching for international trade theory. I develop an illustrative model where firms find such partners by a search through successive matches. The consequences include linking today's import demand patterns to past...

I set up a linear model of a cross-hauling, Cournot duopoly. Even where countries are small, there exists a motive for protection to achieve a profit-shift and to raise revenue. Where the protection is of tariff form, then the protection will only totally exclude the foreign firm for a limited...