Economic Partnership Agreement Research Articles

Economy-wide Impacts of India–UAE CEPA: A CGE Analysis

The present study investigates the potential trade effects of tariff liberalisation under India–United Arab Emirates (UAE) Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) using general equilibrium analysis. The study specifically examines output, employment, exports and welfare effects of India–UAE CEPA in computable general equilibrium (CGE) framework using the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model and database version 10. The study indicates output gains in manufacturing sector for both countries and an increase in demand for unskilled labour in India. The study argues that the CEPA will result in an increase in global exports of all commodity groups for both India and UAE and a substantial gain in bilateral exports of both countries. The present study suggests that deeper integration through tariff reduction on imports under India–UAE CEPA will be welfare enhancing for both India and UAE. Overall results show that there is a lot of untapped potential to bring the welfare gains for both trading partners. Given the present schedule of tariff reduction of CEPA, a win–win scenario will emerge for both partners in short as well as long run. Finally, the study cautioned about the implications of sensitive list for trade effects and protection from misuse of rules of origin in the CEPA. JEL Codes: F1, F13, F14, F15, F17

Layout analysis of the RCEP international airline network based on hub identification using improved contribution matrix

The signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement brings new opportunities for the development of international air transportation. Faced with fierce competition, it is worth studying how hub airports should enhance competitiveness, and how low-cost carriers and full-service carriers should optimize the RCEP international airline network layout for better development. Aiming at providing suggestions for the development of hub airports, low-cost and full-service carriers in the RCEP international airline network, this paper identifies the hub airports, analyzes the layout of the RCEP international airline network, and the multi-layered characteristics based on an improved contribution matrix using data from 2010 to 2019 collected from the Official Airline Guide (OAG). This method comprehensively considers attributes of hub airports and the multi-layered characteristics of the airports and routes. The layout analysis indicates that the RCEP international transportation market presents a more open environment for competition and cooperation where base carriers are often the biggest supporters of hub construction. The multi-layered characteristics analysis reveals that low-cost carriers contribute more towards opening up new RCEP routes than full-service carriers. It is advised that carriers newly entering the RCEP international aviation transportation market and low-cost carriers dedicate to establishing new routes around their hub airports to monopolize this market and enhance their market share, whilst full-service carriers consolidate existing routes and increase route density to achieve economic benefits.

Impact of tariff liberalization on economic and social benefits: Computable general equilibrium application to Kenya

AbstractThis study employed computable general equilibrium policy simulations to examine the impact of import tariff liberalization on socioeconomic outcomes including living standards, cost of living, gross domestic product (GDP) from expenditure, total investment expenditure, intermediate input demand, output, value‐added, tariff revenue, sales tax revenue, indirect tax revenue, direct income tax revenue, factor income tax revenue, and factor demand. Findings from the simulations have policy implications touching on a need to embrace reciprocal tariff liberalization under agreements like strategic trade and investment partnerships and economic partnership agreements as they are associated with welfare gains, reduction in cost of living, and GDP growth. Targeted policy incentives could be directed to specific domestic sectors since tariff liberalization has negative impacts on investment expenditure. Incentives regarding intermediate inputs should be directed to the manufacturing and services sectors for liberalization of agrifood commodities. Targeted policy incentives should be directed to the manufacturing and services sectors which experience decrease in output with tariff reductions. Liberalization of manufactured commodities should be accompanied by value‐added incentives directed to the agrifood and home production–home consumption sectors. For the liberalization of manufactured commodities, targeted policy incentives should be directed to the services sector which experiences job losses while for the liberalization of tariffs on imports of agrifood commodities, targeted policy incentives should be directed to the agrifood and the home production–home consumption sectors, which also lose jobs. These targeted policy incentives could support industrial activity and compensate for revenue loss, especially from customs duties.Related ArticlesGruber, Lloyd. 2013. “Trade, Growth, Poverty, and Politics: Toward a Unified Theory.” Politics & Policy 41(5): 723–64. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12034.Onyango, Gedion, and Japheth Otieno Ondiek. 2022. “Open Innovation During the COVID‐19 Pandemic Policy Responses in South Africa and Kenya.” Politics & Policy 50(5): 1008–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12490.Soto, Gloria. 2012. “Environmental Impact of Agricultural Trade Liberalization under NAFTA.” Politics & Policy 40(3): 471–91. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2012.00354.x.

Factors associated with foreign-educated nurses’ willingness to continue working in Japan: a qualitative study

BackgroundJapan has been accepting foreign nurse candidates since 2008 under Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). As globalisation progresses, nurses from diverse backgrounds are expected to play an active role in the medical field. Using an interview survey, this study examined the factors associated with EPA nurses’ willingness to continue working in Japan.MethodsWe conducted semi-structured interviews from January 2022 to July 2023 with eight EPA nurses and one EPA nurse candidate working in Japan to investigate the factors associated with foreign-educated nurses’ willingness to continue working in Japan. The interview guide included items on the status of the daily performance of their duties, what they found pleasurable in their nursing experience in Japan, difficulties they encountered in carrying out their nursing duties, and their expectations of the Japanese staff around them. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsFrom the interview data, seven themes were extracted. To continue working in Japan, it was important for EPA nurses to be able to communicate with patients and colleagues, maintain self-esteem and motivation, be resilient, have support from EPA peers and family members, be accepted by others such as patients and colleagues, and be satisfied with the support they received.ConclusionThe EPA nurses experienced many difficulties after becoming nurses and tended to be isolated because of their non-Japanese status. The results suggest that not only support from colleagues and supervisors but also a general understanding of EPA nurses from Japanese society is necessary. As globalisation accelerates, the Japanese nursing field needs to understand the diversity of the nursing profession and build a support system that will enable them to continue to take pride and feel motivated in their work.

TRIPS‐PLUS provisions in the economic partnership agreements with the EU: The CARIFORUM's experience and lessons for West Africa

AbstractNegotiation for the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union (EU) and six African, Caribbean and Pacific (APC) regions has been ongoing for over a decade. These negotiations are at different phases in the seven APC regions and have faced significant challenges, hindering ratification in most of them. However, the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) is the first regional group to have completed the process. It is currently implementing the EPA. Most significantly, CARIFORUM is the only region to have negotiated and ratified a comprehensive EPA that goes beyond trade in goods to include other elements such as services and intellectual property. This paper seeks to understand why CARIFORUM opted for a comprehensive EPA with the EU. Keeping in mind the downsides of intellectual property (IP) globalization, it fleshes out lessons, particularly on IP rights, that West African countries, and other non‐Caribbean ACP regions, can draw from the CARIFORUM's experience to adequately equip themselves in anticipation of negotiations with the EU for their EPAs.

Mapping the Literature on the Relationship between Indonesia and Chile as Non-Traditional Partners

Indonesia and Chile formed a comprehensive trade cooperation called the Indonesia-Chile Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IC-CEPA). Empirically, the relationship between Indonesia and Chile is not strong, so it is interesting to see how are the dynamics of the relationship between the two countries which are non-traditional partners but established comprehensive trade cooperation. Therefore, this literature review found 25 literatures that have discussed the dynamics of the relationship between Indonesia and Chile. This literature review maps the literature using the taxonomy method into three main topics, namely (1) the historical relationship between Indonesia and Chile, (2) the political relationship between Indonesia and Chile, (3) the economic relationship between Indonesia and Chile. This literature review found that the relationship between Indonesia and Chile in various fields shows a fluctuating trend because they still focus on traditional partners, the relationship between the two countries is pragmatic, lack of political will, and lack of information about each other's characteristics.

The Impact of Participating in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement and Potential Export Markets for Vietnamese Rice: An Application of Augmented Gravity Model

In this study, we investigate the potential effects of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement on Vietnam’s rice exports from 2000 to 2016. For this analysis, we employ the panel data augmented gravity model with some modifications. The estimated results suggest a positive relationship between Vietnam’s per capita export and the capita real gross domestic product (GDP) of the importer, Vietnam’s rice production, export price, and ASEAN dummy. We confirm that there is a negative relationship between Vietnam’s per capita rice export value and import country agricultural land and import tariffs. Additionally, this paper forecasts Vietnam’s rice export value per capita at each market in RCEP partners by using the autoregressive model. Our forecast results show that among RCEP members, Vietnam has potential markets if import tariff reductions are lowered in Singapore, Brunei, Korea, Japan, and Malaysia. To reap the benefits of rice exports’ potential, Vietnam must move from low-grade and cheap rice to high-quality rice production instead of expanding rice production and exports with the following implications: changing its present rice trading partners to potential markets and adopting market-oriented policies to meet the international demand and to increase the export elasticity of rice.

Research on the Development Opportunities and Strategies of Guangzhou Cross-Border E-commerce Comprehensive Pilot Zone under the RCEP Agreement

This paper provides a thorough analysis of the development opportunities and strategies for the Guangzhou Cross-Border E-Commerce Comprehensive Pilot Zone in the context of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement. The article begins with a review of the background of the RCEP agreement and its role in promoting economic cooperation, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, followed by an analysis of the current development status, main opportunities, and challenges facing the Guangzhou Cross-Border E-Commerce Comprehensive Pilot Zone under the current international circumstances. Through empirical research, the paper proposes a series of strategic recommendations to promote the development of the pilot zone, aiming to provide references for policy-making and regional economic development.

The EU–Japan Partnership in the Post-pandemic Order: What Comes Next?

EU–Japan relations have been treated in the literature as a ‘normal relationship’ between two mature actors with a long history of promises, expectations and indifferences. However, since 2004, the EU has been considering its relations with Japan as a strategic partnership; that is, a powerful relationship that plays an increasingly central role in the international system. Recent changes in the EU and Japanese domestic and international environments show how both parties’ relations have shifted from a period of indifferences and low expectations to a new momentum of cooperation in facing common global challenges such as open trade, climate change, multilateralism or the recent pandemic. The main objective of this article is, first, to suggest a framework of analysis to better calibrate the EU–Japan relationship, and second, to understand recent trends in EU–Japan relations that have enabled the Economic Partnership Agreement that entered into force in 2019.

The Ratification of Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement: Investment Challenges and Opportunities

This article aims to conduct a more in-depth study of Indonesia's challenges and opportunities after the ratification of the 2020 Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, hereinafter referred to as IA-CEPA. IA-CEPA offers opportunities for investment, trade in goods and services, and human resource capacity building for both countries. The Indonesian government needs to accelerate the harmonization of national laws related to the substance of IA-CEPA so that no legal conflicts harm Indonesia's national and economic interests. This research applied normative or doctrinal research methods, collecting legal materials with literature studies, which were then analysed with descriptive analysis techniques to find solutions to the problems raised. The results show that IA-CEPA brings great opportunities for economic growth in both countries. With greater access to each other's markets and cuts in trade tariffs, this agreement can stimulate greater trade and investment. IA-CEPA provides incentives for both countries to diversify their investment sources. This can help reduce dependence on one particular country or region and increase economic resilience.

Macro-determinants of current account balance performance in selected African countries

AbstractMost African countries are open to international trade as shown by their signatories to various trade agreements such as the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU, and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). However, these countries face persistent current account deficits and institutional underdevelopment. The existing literature investigates the underlying factors at country-specific levels while ignoring the role of institutions. Meanwhile, African countries are also rapidly transitioning towards economic integration with the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AFCFTA) to deepen intra-Africa trade. Therefore, for unionized policy proposition, this study controls for the effects of institutions and investigates the macro-determinants of the current account balance (CAB) performance using panel data from 2002 to 2020 for 20 African countries. To account for cross-country correlation and country-level heteroscedasticity, the study employed panel-corrected standard errors (PCSE) and feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) techniques for the governance indicators-related step-wise estimations. The results show that after controlling for the effects of institutions, income, trade openness, the price level, the interplay between manufacturing and financial sector development, and the money supply are the significant macro-determinants of the CAB performance in Africa. Further, the marginal info-graphics show that the predictive effects of value addition and financial development on the CAB increase positively with good governance and that improved governance could reverse any negative effects of trade openness on the CAB performance. Based on the findings, the study recommends inter alia that African countries pursue value-addition-oriented trade, zero Central Bank budgetary financing, and institutional quality improvement to enhance the performance of their CABs.

Racial microaggressions and positive coping strategies among migrant elderly care workers in Japan

BackgroundThe aging population is a severe issue in Japan; thus, the country has accepted nursing care professionals through a bilateral Economic Partnership Agreement with the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Although this new phase of Southeast Asian immigration to Japan is still considered recent, problems linked to labor and sustainability have been observed. ObjectiveThis qualitative study explored the racial microaggression experiences and positive coping strategies of migrant care workers working in Japan's formal long-term care setting. MethodsIn-depth interviews were conducted among 31 migrant care workers from the Philippines (n = 21), Indonesia (n = 6), and Vietnam (n = 4). Interviews were held in their native tongue, in English or Japanese, with the aid of an interpreter, audiotaped for accuracy, and transcribed verbatim. NVivo 10® was used to sort, organize, and code the transcripts. Thematic analysis was used to identify emerging themes. ResultsTwo key themes emerged that depict racial microaggression: microinsults and microassault. Microinsults include environmental and systematic microaggression, assumption of unreliability, and invisibility. Microassault consists of the assumption of dominance. Migrant care workers were expected to write work reports in Kanji (Chinese characters) and to communicate in Japanese. They are pressured to do more tasks than their local counterparts but treated as incompetent and invisible because of their ethnic background. Three key themes emerged related to positive coping strategies: (1) emotion-focused, (2) meaning-focused, and (3) appraisal-focused. ConclusionThis is the first study that highlights the racial microaggression experiences and positive coping strategies of migrant care workers in Japan. The Japanese government is suggested to provide resources for migrant care workers to cope and practice self-care. Care facilities are meant to provide opportunities for care workers to develop a sense of agency and feelings of control over perpetuated racially charged interactions tailored to the care workers' culture.

Economic Partnership Agreement between Mongolia and Korea: Some issues concerning the tariff negotiations

Mongolia signed its first Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Japan and the agreement entered into force in 2016. It has been agreed to conclude the next agreement with the Republic of Korea, and official negotiations have started from December 2023. In the framework of the traditional agreement, trade in goods and services, trade-related investment issues and intellectual property rights are discussed. Among these, the tariff negotiations are the core issue of the trade in good chapter and determine the benefits of negotiations through harmonization with other chapters. Therefore, it is important to conduct both qualitative and quantitative research in advance and make research-based decisions for customs tariff negotiations. In addition to studying the types of agreements signed by South Korea with other countries, the duration of negotiations, and the results of tariff negotiations with Vietnam, some issues to be considered in tariff negotiations were determined by analysing the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) index needed to develop Mongolia's proposals for tariff concessions’ schedule and requests to be submitted to South Korea.
 Монгол Улс, Бүгд Найрамдах Солонгос Улс хоорондын эдийн засгийн түншлэлийн хэлэлцээр: Гаалийн тарифын хэлэлцээ хийхэд анхаарах зарим асуудал
 Хураангуй. Монгол Улс анхны Эдийн засгийн түншлэлийн хэлэлцээр (ЭЗТХ)-ийг Япон улстай байгуулан 2016 оноос хэрэгжүүлж эхэлсэн. Дараагийн хэлэлцээрийг БНСУ-тай байгуулахаар тохиролцож, албан ёсны хэлэлцээг 2023 оны 12 дугаар сараас эхлүүлээд байна. Хэлэлцээрийн хүрээнд барааны болон үйлчилгээний худалдаа, худалдаанд хамаарах хөрөнгө оруулалт болон оюуны өмчийн эрх гээд олон асуудлыг хөнддөг. Гаалийн тарифын хэлэлцээ нь барааны худалдааны бүлгийн үндсэн асуудал бөгөөд бусад бүлэгтэй нягт уялдаатай байж хэлэлцээрээс хүртэх үр ашгийг нэмэгдүүлдэг. Иймээс гаалийн тарифын хэлэлцээ хийхэд шаардлагатай чанарын болон тоон судалгааг урьдчилан хийж, судалгаанд суурилсан шийдвэрийг гаргах нь чухал. Энэ ажлын хүрээнд БНСУ-ын бусад оронтой байгуулсан хэлэлцээрийн төрөл, хэлэлцээ үргэлжилсэн хугацаа, Вьетнамтай хийсэн тарифын хэлэлцээний үр дүн зэргийг судалж, Монгол Улсын тарифын хөнгөлөлтийн жагсаалтын санал, БНСУ-д хүргүүлэх хүсэлтийг боловсруулахад шаардлагатай харьцангуй давуу талын шинжилгээг хийж, тарифын хэлэлцээ хийхэд анхаарах зарим асуудлыг тодорхойлсон болно. 
 Түлхүүр үгс: Гаалийн тарифыг бууруулах, тэглэх; Хөнгөлөлттэй тариф; Нэн тааламжтай тариф; Тарифын хөнгөлөлтийн жагсаалт; Харьцангуй давуу талын индекс

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP): Evaluation of Trade Relations Between Member Countries Using the Social Network Analysis Method

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement was signed in 2020 as a giant free trade agreement signed by 15 countries, including China. In this context, the RCEP agreement is the world's largest free trade agreement in terms of GDP and trade volume. In this study, commercial relations between RCEP countries between 2012 (the year when negotiations of the RCEP agreement began) and 2021 were examined using social network analysis. In the analyses, export values of RCEP countries to each other were used and the data were obtained from Trade Map. In the study, social network analyzes for the years 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2021 were analyzed using the Ucinet program, while trade networks were visualized with the Gephi program. For social network analyses, basic ego network indicators, degree centrality values, hub and authority centrality values and eigenvector values were calculated. As a result of the analysis, it is seen that the hub and authority country in trade between RCEP countries is China for all four years (2012, 2015, 2018 and 2021). On the other hand, it has been determined that China's most important trade partners are Japan and South Korea. Additionally, the development in Vietnam's trade level during this period is remarkable.

Analisis Penjualan Mobil Listrik Di Indonesia Dalam Rentang Waktu 2020-2023

The automotive industry in Indonesia is growing rapidly with electric car sales increasing significantly by 2022. Hyundai is one of the largest electric car manufacturers in Indonesia, supported by the IK-CEPA (Indonesia-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement), a bilateral free trade agreement between Indonesia and South Korea in various fields such as trade in goods, services and other economic cooperation. The Indonesian government is also active in supporting the development of the electric vehicle industry through fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, as well as cooperation with Hyundai Motor Group in training electric vehicle technicians. Sales of electric cars in several brands and types such as Hyundai Kona EV, Hyundai Ioniq EV, and Lexus UX300e have increased from 2020 to October 2023, showing public interest in electric cars. Hyundai Ioniq 5 became the best-selling electric car in Indonesia in 2022, while the newly released Wuling Air EV in August 2022 also received attention for its affordable price and unique design. Indonesia has the largest nickel reserves in the world, so it has a great ability to make electric vehicle batteries. This will drive the development of the electric car industry in the country, with strong government support and increasing sales, the automotive industry, especially electric cars, will have a bright prospect to continue growing in the future.

Factors Related to Job Continuance of Nurses Who Migrated to Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Japan has accepted nurses from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam under the Economic Partnership Agreement, but nearly half of them have already left the workforce. This study aimed to clarify the factors related to the job continuance of nurses who migrated to Japan under the Economic Partnership Agreement. Our goal was to explore factors specific to migrant nurses and to contribute to the development of support measures for them. This research was a cross-sectional study in which a web-based questionnaire and interview were conducted at a single point in time. Migrant nurses (n = 40) participated in the web-based questionnaire survey. Of those, nine nurses were also interviewed. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to establish correlations, and qualitative descriptive analysis was used to analyse interviews. The questionnaire survey results revealed the content of work, human relationships in the workplace, the number of night shifts, and satisfaction with the balance between work and private life were significantly and negatively correlated with the Intention to Quit scale total score. All correlation coefficients were less than 0.5, indicating weak correlations. Three categories emerged from the interviews as positive factors related to job continuance: "generous support from the workplace", "beneficial nursing experience in Japan", and "determination to live in Japan". A good working environment, generous support from the supervisor and colleagues, high values of nursing in Japan, and desire to migrate to Japan were the factors that had a positive effect on migrant nurses' job continuance in Japan. Understanding the characteristics of migrant nurses and providing generous support will enable them to continue working in Japan. This study was not registered.

Deciphering RCEP: a deep dive into financial services treaty language in the Asia-Pacific

ABSTRACT The recently signed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement is likely to have a profound impact on the dissemination and integration of new regulatory standards for financial services in the Asia-Pacific region. By employing a text-as-data approach, this article measures the design of RCEP financial services rules in the regional trade agreements universe. This article finds that, first, RCEP has significantly deviated from the GATS financial services rules. Second, the textual source analysis of the RCEP financial services rules treaty language does not show that they are influenced by any single national text with overwhelming force, but by multiple textual sources in the Asia-Pacific region. China and the ASEAN have a more limited influence than expected, but the existing treaty languages of other major developed countries in this region, namely South Korea, Japan, Australia, and Singapore, has been primarily incorporated into RCEPs financial services rule. Besides, even if the United States is not the contracting party, considerable traces of its indirect influence can be found.

Study of Educational Support for Foreign Nurse Candidates in Japan under Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Program

Study of Educational Support for Foreign Nurse Candidates in Japan under Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Program

Study of Educational Support for Foreign Nurse Candidates in Japan under Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Program

Study of Educational Support for Foreign Nurse Candidates in Japan under Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Program

Analysis of Foreign Trade Policy in Abenomics

The outbreak of the international financial crisis in 2008 dealt a severe blow to Japans foreign trade environment. Under the severe form of Japans foreign trade, Shinzo Abe came to power and put forward Abenomics to provide strong policy support for Japans foreign economic development. This paper collects and arranges the foreign trade policy data of the Abe government during its two terms of office and analyses the impact of Abenomics on the Japanese economy. The study finds that, firstly, the Abe government focuses on the construction of an all-round regional economic partnership. During its term of office, it has signed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Japan-Europe Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and actively carries out trade diplomacy. Secondly, the Abe government attaches importance to foreign investment, actively investing in China, South Korea, and Southeast Asia, considering the economic and trade relations between Eastern and Western Europe. Thirdly, after Abe left office, the Kishida government continued the content of Abenomics. It proposed new capitalism with the times, and implementing this policy in Japans foreign trade has both the shadow of Abes economics and recent developments.