This paper studies an intermediated market operated by middlemen with high inventory holdings. I present a directed search model in which middlemen are less likely to experience a stockout because they have the advantage of inventory capacity, relative to other sellers. The model explains why...

Using a comprehensive international trade data set we investigate empirical regularities (known as Zipf’s Law or the rank-size rule) for the distribution of the interaction between countries as measured by revealed comparative advantage. Using the recently developed estimator by Gabaix and...

Most of the large tariff reductions achieved in multilateral tradenegotiations have involved tariff-cutting formulas such as the "Swiss"formula. However, wide variations in initial tariff rates between activeparticipants call for new approaches under the Doha Development Agenda.This paper...

Today’s global world is characterized not only by a high volume ofinternational trade and foreign investment relativeto national income, but also by a changed composition of that tradetowards a greater fraction of trade in inputs andcapital goods and outsourcing of production.. Emphasized is...

We develop a Heckscher-Ohlin-Ramsey model, combining dual techniqueswith classic geometric techniques fromtrade theory. This framework is used to explore the long-run generalequilibrium effects of regional integration(preferential trade agreements). Emphasis is placed on positivemechanics...

With the advent of globalization, economic and financial interactions among countries have become widespread. Given technological advancements, the factors of production can no longer be considered to be just labor and capital. In the pursuit of economic growth, every country has sensibly...

Ineffective institutions increase transaction costs and reduce trade. This paper shows that differences in the effectiveness of institutions offer an explanation for the tendency of OECD countries to trade disproportionately with each other, and with non-OECD countries.

This paper is concerned with the interaction of regulated efficiency and World Trade Organization (WTO) accession and its impact on China’s motor vehicle sector. The analysis is conducted using a 23 sector–25 region computable general equilibrium model. Regulatory reform and internal...

The gravity model is the workhorse model to describe and explain variation in bilateral trade patterns. Consistent with both Heckscher-Ohlin models and models of imperfect competition and trade, this versatile model has proven to be very successful, explaining a large part of the variance in...

This paper studies the effect of institutions on trade flows, using a gravity modelapproach. We start from a standard gravity equation that incorporates geographical proximity,language, trade policy and common history. These factors reflect the costs of trade acrossgeographical and cultural...