Trade Policy Analysis

The relationship between trade liberalization and product quality is both empirically and theoretically ambiguous. This paper empirically investigates the impact of tariff liberalization on product quality upgrading in the South African manufacturing sector using highly disaggregated product-level data. The study employs panel data techniques exploiting variation at the product level using HS8 product-level data from 1988 to 2009. Tariff liberalization affects product quality through various channels such as pro-competitive, variety, or input channel effects.

The East African Community (EAC) was revived in July 2000. Since then, there has been some progress registered in expansion of trade between the five member countries, especially with the Customs Union that brought together Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in 2004, with Rwanda and Burundi joining in 2008. According to the EAC Development Strategy for 2011/12 to 2015/16, intra-EAC trade grew by 40 percent between 2005 and 2009.

The international community has been increasing investment in projects that promote trade facilitation and improve logistics in the developing world, including in ports. In Africa, a key motivation for such projects has been a presumption that poor infrastructure and inefficient border control agencies are the major causes of extended delays in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) ports. Based on new data and analysis, this note argues that collusion between controlling agencies, port authorities, private terminal operators, logistics operators, and large shippers is an important part of the problem.

MIRAGE is a multi-region, multi-sector computable general equilibrium model, devoted to trade policy analysis. It incorporates imperfect competition, horizontal and vertical product differentiation, and foreign direct investment, in a sequential dynamic set-up where installed capital is assumed to be immobile. Adjustment inertia is linked to capital stock reallocation.

An introduction to modern Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs). In addition to considering the traditional market access motives for PTAs, this guide offers a framework for understanding a number of behind-the-border policies typically covered in PTAs, including labor mobility, investment, trade facilitation, competiion, and government procurement, as well as other societal and more normative policies related to intellectual property, environment, labor rights, and human rights.