This paper examines the evolution of global merchandise trade, between 2010 and 2022, assessing the share of imports subject to regional trade agreements (RTAs). A key question for us is whether the share of merchandise trade subject to preferences has kept pace with the proliferation in RTAs....

The Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) principle has historically been instrumental in promoting stability and equitable trade conditions. In recent decades there has been a rise in bilateral and regional trade agreements, which deviate from the MFN principle in providing more favourable tariff...

This study analyses the impact of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) using a recursively dynamic global computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, MAGNET. The study considers two policy measures: cuts in bilateral...

This Perspective argues that the ASEAN-led RCEP agreement and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific have created significant momentum for ASEAN to further reinforce its central role in advancing Asia-Pacific economic integration.

By utilizing panel statistics of 1520 country pairs and economic integration agreements (EIAs) from 2007 to 2017, this paper presents evidence of the effect of EIAs on export margins, i.e., both extensive (firms) and intensive margins (average exports per firm). In doing so, this work adds...

How does dismantling deep integration affect international trade? This paper provides new evidence on the consequences of disintegration by estimating the impact of Brexit on goods trade by UK firms. The UK’s exit from the EU’s single market and customs union in January 2021 led to an...

This study examines the effects of at-the-border and behind-the-border measures on the intraregional perishable goods trade in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation region by combining trade facilitation indicators at the bilateral product level with an extensive dataset of nontariff...

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, mobility restrictions had a significant impact on trade times and costs at the borders, particularly in landlocked developing countries. This paper examines the effect of COVID-19 mobility measures on the time required for cargo to clear...

Africa has contributed little to Climate Change (CC), though being hardest hit, especially African agriculture, both in the short-run (fast-onset events like droughts and floods) and in the long-run through lower productivity in agriculture (slow-onset events from warming). The paper starts with...

How do shifts in the global balance of power shape the world economy? We propose a theory of alignment-based “hegemonic globalization,” built on two central premises: countries differ in their preferences over policies (such as the rule of law or regulatory frameworks) and trade between any...

The current geopolitical landscape has made domestic resource mobilization an even more important imperative for developing countries. In this context, it is more urgent than ever to combat illicit financial flows (IFFs) whose staggering amount from developing countries has...

This study explores the role of regional trade agreements (RTAs) in mitigating the negative effects of uncertainty on trade, focusing on their depth and differential impacts on global value chain (GVC) and traditional trade. By employing an augmented gravity model with data from 70 countries...

How do shifts in the global balance of power shape the world economy? We propose a theory of alignment-based “hegemonic globalization”, built on two central premises: countries differ in their preferences over policies (such as the rule of law or regulatory frameworks) and trade between any...

Income convergence refers to the idea that poor countries grow more quickly than rich ones and catch up in terms of per capita income; as a result, the per capita income of integrated nations eventually converges. Beta convergence suggests that less developed nations grow more quickly than more...

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is considered as one of the successful regional cooperations and has played a remarkable role in regional, and potentially global, order through its principles of consensus, non-interference, and peaceful resolution of conflicts, providing platform for...

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted global trade, posing challenges for regional trade agreements such as the Pacific Alliance, comprising Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. This study investigates the Pacific Alliance's impact on trade creation and diversion during the...

Cambodia's export-driven growth has resulted in increased freight demand. Containerized import and export cargo movement has increased more than five-fold over the past 12 years. By 2030, it is expected that trade volumes moving along highways and through ports, airports, and warehouses will...

The Blue Economy (BE), which is recognised by the African Union (AU) as the "new frontier of African Renaissance," is one of the keys to the door to a sustainable African continent. With its vast maritime zone totalling about 13 million square kilometres, Africa is richly endowed with bountiful...

This study employs the economy-wide model DEMETRA to provide a detailed characterisation of the impacts of the African Continental Free Trade Area on the Ghanaian economy from 2020 to 2035 and how these economy-wide impacts will affect food consumption and affordability. It considers two...

Geoeconomic fragmentation is on the rise amidst heightened geopolitical tensions and a surge in inward-looking policies to strengthen economic and national security. Focusing on trade and capital flows, this paper takes a closer look at the implications of geoeconomic fragmentation for the...

Purpose - While the industry-education integration has achieved significant results, it also faces many prominent problems. The current problems include some projects prioritizing research and development over education, insufficient breadth and depth of cooperation and a lack of quality...

Against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine (R-U) conflict, this paper investigates the convergence process of the bond market in East Asia from 2010 to 2024, focusing on the impact of the R-U crisis on bond yield convergence. Our findings show convergence toward both benchmarks, with an...