The Trade Impact of European Union Preferential Policies

The book investigates the EU preferential trade policy and, in particular, the impact it had on trade flows from developing countries. It shows that the capability of the "trade as aid" model to deliver its expected benefits to these countries crucially differs between preferential schemes and sectors. The book takes an eclectic but rigorous approach to the econometric analysis by combining different specifications of the gravity model. An in-depth presentation of the gravity model is also included, providing significant insights into the distinctive features of this technique and its state-of-art implementation. The evidence produced in the book is extensively applied to the analysis of the EU preferential policies with substantial suggestions for future improvement. Additional electronic material can be found online.

Autorentext

Luca De Benedictis received his diplôme d' études supérieures (Degree of Advanced Studies) from the Graduate Institute of International Studies at Geneva and his Ph.D. from the Politechnic University of Marche and is presently Professor of international economics at the University of Macerata, Italy. He is the author of several publications on the empirical analysis of international trade flows.

Luca Salvatici received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis and is presently Professor of economic policy at the University of Roma Tre, Italy. He previously held positions at La Sapienza University of Roma and University of Molise, and was a consultant for the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization. He is the author of several publications on the measurement of protection and on the EU policies.

Inhalt
Introduction.- EU Preferential Trading Arrangements: Evolution, Content and Use.- EU Preferential Margins: Measurement and Aggregation Issues.- The Gravity Model in International Trade.- Trade Impact of EU Preferential Policies: a Meta-analysis of the Literature.- Trade Impact of EU Preferences.- Analysing the Impact of Everything but Arms Initative Using a Gravity Model.- Trade Impact of EU Preferences: an Analysis with Monthly Data.- Trade Preference Through Tariff Rate Quotas and the Gravity Equation: Does the Tariff Equivalent Matter?- Trade Impact of EU Preferences: the Role of Compliance Costs.