Effectiveness Of Aid For Trade Research Articles

Do Aid for Trade Flows Affect Technology Licensing in Recipient Countries?

There is an abundant literature on the economic (including trade) effects of Aid for Trade (AfT) flows. However, little attention has been devoted to the effect of AfT flows on demand for technology licensing. The present article aims to fill this void in the literature by investigating the effect of AfT flows on technology licensing in developing countries. The analysis has used an unbalanced panel dataset of 77 countries over the period from 2002 to 2019 and mainly the two-step generalized method of moments estimator. It has been established that AfT flows foster technology licensing in countries that experience lower trade costs. In addition, the analysis has revealed that adverse environmental and external (economic and financial) shocks significantly hamper innovation, including the demand for technology licensing, and that AfT flows promote technology licensing in countries that experience lower magnitudes of such shocks. Finally, AfT flows foster technology licensing in countries that diversify export products.

Aid for trade initiative 16 years on: lessons learnt from the empirical literature and recommendations for future directions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a review of empirical evidence on the effectiveness of Aid for Trade (AfT) inflows and recommend new areas of interest concerning the initiative other than its effect on trade performance.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reviews a sample of 55 studies over the past 11 years. Besides, this paper categorised the reviewed empirical studies into three groups: the works concentrating on the trade performance effect; the works focusing on other economic factors effect; and the works concerning the allocation effect of these inflows. This paper also offers a detailed analysis of the multiple empirical methods, sources of data, coverage of the countries and forms of AfT inflows used in the reviewed literature.FindingsKey findings indicated that AfT has overall produced a successful impact as reported by most studies. Moreover, it has been highlighted that the effectiveness of AfT may differ relying on multiple indicators: the category of AfT disbursements; income of the recipient country; the recipient country's geographical region; the amount of aggregate AfT as well as its main categories; the policy regulation and institutional quality of the recipient country; and the degree of liberalisation in the recipient country.Originality/valueThis paper is special in that it is the first to publish a comprehensive narrative analysis of 55 empirical pieces of evidence on the effectiveness of AfT over the past 11 years. It is also the first paper to review the previous literature regarding the effectiveness of AfT inflows on other non-trade outcomes, as well as trade outcomes in one single study. The outcome of the survey reveals new areas of interest in the effectiveness of AfT aside from trade performance.

AID FOR TRADE FLOWS AND POVERTY REDUCTION

The effectiveness of Aid for Trade (AfT) interventions, including with respect to recipient countries’ trade performance, has now been well explored in the literature. However, in spite of the voluminous literature on the poverty effect of the total official development aid, the effect of AfT flows on poverty has received little attention on the empirical front. This paper aims to contribute to the policy debate on this matter by investigating the effect of AfT flows on poverty in recipient countries. In particular, the analysis explores whether this effect translates through countries’ level of export product concentration, as the latter can influence income inequality, and hence the transformation of economic growth into poverty reduction in recipient countries. The empirical analysis, based on 100[Formula: see text]AfT recipient countries, has shown that AfT interventions are associated with poverty reduction in countries that diversify their export products, including toward manufacturing products. Additionally, AfT flows dampen the positive poverty effect of income inequality, and lead to greater poverty reduction in countries with a great extent of fiscal redistribution. Finally, the analysis has shown that AfT interventions mitigate the positive poverty effect of import product concentration. These results have important policy implications.

Aid Effectiveness of Aid for Trade: An Empirical Analysis on the Extensive and Intensive Margins of Aid Recipients

Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness held in 2005 emphasized the role of Aid for Trade (AFT) on capacity building of developing nations. Past literature showed mixed results regarding the aid effectiveness of foreign aid both theoretically and empirically. To test the impact of foreign aid thoroughly, we first focus on the AFT which purposes are not only stimulating the volume of trade flow but also facilitating the construction of robust infrastructure and environment for developing nations to participate in the global economy independently. Second, we disaggregate bilateral trade into the extensive and intensive margin of international trade to examine whether AFT affects more on the new products traded or incumbent good. Lastly, we conduct Poisson pseudo maximum likelihood (PPML) estimation to control for zero-value observations and possible heteroskedasticity stemming from the sample. With different sample groups, the results indicate that AFT overall benefits the exports of aid recipients. Particularly, AFT from European Union (EU) shows the most considerable and consistent effect on both the new export and incumbent relationships. Furthermore, AFT from the EU facilitates the new export relationship between developing nations with other developing nations, specifically with those without a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) relationship, indicating that the aid from the EU is relatively effective in establishing new trade partners.

Is aid-for-trade working? Evidence from Southeast Asian countries

The effectiveness of Aid for Trade has been widely discussed since the WTO launched the aid for trade initiative in 2005. Using a comprehensive panel data from 143 developing countries provided by the OECD, this research assesses the effect of Aid for Trade policy and regulation on exports. To observe regional implications, the independent variables were interacted with regional dummies. Empirical findings show that Aid for Trade in trade policy and regulation has a significant positive effect on the exports of Asian countries. After looking at transition economies in Asia, this paper suggests that aid for trade policy and regulation such as government led initiatives can have a positive effect on the trade performance and regional integration of transition economies in the Greater Mekong Subregion or the CLMV Countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam).

Aid for Trade and Trade in Services

Existing research generally finds weak positive effects of aid for trade (AfT) on aggregate merchandise trade of recipients once endogeneity in the AfT-trade relationship is accounted for. In this paper, we confirm weak findings for both aggregate merchandise and services trade of recipients, using GMM and IV estimations. Moreover, estimates lose statistical significance if non-AfT explanatory variables are treated as endogenous in estimation suggesting identification issues may not have been adequately addressed in extant work. We then examine an alternative proposition: that effects of AfT and different categories of AfT may be observed along the conditional distributions of exports and imports. Our findings confirm this hypothesis. AfT allocated to economic infrastructure, productive capacity building in services and trade policies and regulation is more effective for smaller trading economies, especially in services. We also observe considerable heterogeneity in the trade effects of AfT allocated to individual services sectors, indicating the importance of country-specific diagnostics in targeting AfT allocation.

Aid for trade and export sophistication in recipient countries

ABSTRACT This study investigates the effects of Aid for Trade (AfT) on the sophistication level of recipient countries’ export baskets. The results indicate that total AfT inflows do not benefit the export sophistication. AfT for trade policy and regulations seems to be the only type of AfT that are found to be effective in low-income countries with a real GDP per capita of less than USD 3047.72 and the poorer the recipient country the greater the positive impact on export sophistication. In contrast, the effect of AfT for economic infrastructure seems to be increasing in per capita income. The positive and negative significant effects of AfT for economic infrastructure are observed for countries with real GDP per capita above USD 29,542.64 and below USD 2558.02, respectively. Otherwise, there are no significant impacts of these two categories on export sophistication. AfT dedicated to building productive capacity exerts a negative impact on the export sophistication at the sectoral level.

Export Diversification Effects of Aid for Trade in sub-Saharan Africa

This paper uses panel data of 42 sub-Saharan Africa countries from 2005 to 2015 to examine the effect of aid for trade (AfT) on export diversification. The average Hirschman-Herfindahl index measure of 0.77 indicates that the export basket of sub-Saharan African countries is very narrow. This is further supported by the low number of active products lines, about 100 products on average measured at the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) 3-digit level. Empirical results indicate that export diversification in sub-Saharan Africa is enhanced by particularly AfT that is directed toward improving productive capacity.

Aid for Trade and Trade in Services

Existing research generally finds weak positive effects of aid for trade (AfT) on aggregate merchandise trade of recipients once endogeneity in the AfT-trade relationship is accounted for. In this paper, we confirm weak findings for both aggregate merchandise and services trade of recipients, using GMM and IV estimations. Moreover, estimates lose statistical significance if non-AfT explanatory variables are treated as endogenous in estimation suggesting identification issues may not have been adequately addressed in extant work. We then examine an alternative proposition: that effects of AfT and different categories of AfT may be observed along the conditional distributions of exports and imports. Our findings confirm this hypothesis. AfT allocated to economic infrastructure, productive capacity building in services and trade policies and regulation is more effective for smaller trading economies, especially in services. We also observe considerable heterogeneity in the trade effects of AfT allocated to individual services sectors, indicating the importance of country-specific diagnostics in targeting AfT allocation.

Aid for Trade Flows and Wage Inequality in the Manufacturing Sector of Recipient-Countries

The present article aims to contribute to the literature on the effectiveness of Aid for Trade (AfT) flows in recipient-countries by investigating the effect of these resource flows on wage inequality in the manufacturing sector of recipient-countries. The analysis has shown that AfT interventions help reduce wage inequality in the manufacturing sector of countries that liberalize their trade policies, enjoy greater trade openness, experience higher exports of labour-intensive, low-skill and high skill manufacturing products. Additionally, AfT interventions contribute to dampening the negative effect of export product concentration (for example on primary products) on wage inequality in the manufacturing sector. Finally, AfT flows reduce wage inequality in the manufacturing sector of countries that import manufacturing products (including machinery and transport equipment goods) or enjoy a greater extent of multilateral trade liberalization.

Effectiveness of aid-for-trade: Are there strings attached? Empirical evidence and the case of Vietnam

ABSTRACTThis paper tests empirically whether Aid-for-Trade has been working since its launch in the early 2000s. Using panel data consisting of 102 developing countries from 2002 to 2017, this paper finds that the Aid-for-Trade (AfT) initiative has been working conditionally. Specifically, AfT itself turns out to be effective in export promotion in developing countries, but more so only in a few countries with high growth rates. That is, AfT has greater effects in recipients with high state capacity and a sound economic environment. Additionally, the WTO-led AfT initiative, launched in 2005, has contributed to export promotion by aid recipients, indicating that more commitments from donor sides are essential for the effectiveness of AfT. These empirical findings are supported with evidence from the case of Vietnam, one of the largest recipients of both ODA and AfT, which illustrates the importance of the economic environment in which AfT initiative is implemented. Strategic economic policies implemented by the Vietnamese government have moved its centrally planned economy to a market-based economy, thus promoting integration with the global economy and creating a compatible environment for AfT.

Effects of aid for trade on extensive and intensive margins of greenfield FDI

AbstractUsing a panel dataset of 105 developing countries for the period 2003–15, this paper assesses the effects of Aid for Trade (AfT) on greenfield FDI flows to the aid‐recipient countries. Particularly, this paper classifies the total dollar value of greenfield FDI flows to each recipient country in terms of four different layers: the extensive and intensive margins of projects as well as the extensive and intensive margins of source countries. Applying the system GMM estimator, this paper finds that AfT not only increases the dollar value of FDI flows to the recipient countries but also helps diversify the greenfield projects and source countries. In addition, this paper finds that AfT has a greater effect for greenfield FDI from donor (developed) countries than from non‐donor (developing) countries. Among the three components of AfT, aid for trade‐related infrastructure and aid for trade policy regulations are found to have positive links with greenfield FDI, irrespective of source‐country groups, yet their effects are larger for developed source countries. In contrast, aid for building productive capacity hinders greenfield FDI flows from non‐donor countries, while it promotes greenfield FDI from donor countries. We offer some explanations for this finding.

Institutional quality and the effectiveness of aid for trade

ABSTRACTTrade policy barriers and high transaction costs hinder developing countries from taking the full advantages of the global trading system. In order to help developing countries overcome the problem, the World Trade Organization (WTO) launched the Aid for Trade (AFT) initiatives in its Ministerial Conference held in Hong Kong in 2005. We examine the effects of AFT inflows on bilateral trade costs facing 133 developing countries while accounting for differences in their location on the contours of various measures of institutional quality. Our results from the estimation of a mixed effects (random-intercept and random-coefficient) model indicate that institutional quality significantly affects the extent to which AFT reduces bilateral trade costs. An important policy implication of our findings is that an economically robust and sustainable reduction in bilateral trade costs facing developing countries requires the presence of both promulgated and effectively functioning institutions such as regulatory power and the rule of law.

무역을 위한 원조가 수원국의 무역량에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

무역을 위한 원조가 수원국의 무역량에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

Aid for Trade and Greenfield Investment

Summary The Aid for Trade (AfT) Initiative was launched in 2005 at the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference where high-income countries pledged to increase their AfT contributions to developing countries. AfT, comprised almost entirely of aid for trade-related infrastructure and building productive capacity, would promote growth by easing supply-side constraints and improving transportation, energy, and communication infrastructure. By lowering costs of operating in recipient countries, AfT may increase both trade and investment. Most research on the effects of AfT on international transactions focuses on trade. The sparse research on investment investigates aid and net foreign direct investment flows based on the international balance of payments. We contribute to the literature by assessing AfT effects on new greenfield investment. Using bilateral data for 25 donor and 120 recipient countries for the period 2003–13, we find that bilateral AfT promotes greenfield investment. Our preferred specification includes bilateral and country-time fixed effects and employs the Poisson Pseudo-Maximum Likelihood (PPML) estimator. Robust effects emerge between the top five donors and more developed recipient countries, cases where aid flows are large. Thus, we see evidence that a critical level of aid is required to encourage greenfield investment. Both aid for infrastructure (particularly, transportation and energy) and building productive capacity are found to exert strong effects. To the extent that greenfield investment creates jobs and generates technology transfer, it appears that AfT is accomplishing its development objectives, at least with regard to the more advanced recipient countries.

Effectiveness of Aid for Trade (AfT): Evidence from Bangladesh

Effectiveness of Aid for Trade (AfT): Evidence from Bangladesh

Evidencing donor heterogeneity in Aid for Trade

ABSTRACT This paper is the culmination of a multi-country, multi-method investigation into the export effects of Aid for Trade (AfT). Building on previous single-donor statistical studies of AfT, this paper conducts a statistical study of 19 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) AfT donors and then examines the delivery and implementation of AfT in four recipient countries – Indonesia, the Philippines, Timor-Leste and Vietnam – from four donor countries – Germany, Japan, Norway and the US. The paper finds considerable variation in the export effects of the AfT programs, ranging from programs with no impact on recipient country exports to programs that are positively correlated with recipient country exports to the donor country and/or the rest of the world. Taking a closer look at the AfT programs of Germany, Japan, Norway and the US suggests that differences in program design and implementation may account for differences in AfT export effects.

A Global Perspective on Effectiveness of Aid for Trade

Recent global initiatives on debt relief and development assistance call for increasing aid for trade to the poorest countries. The paper applies a multi-country computable general equilibrium model to measure the effectiveness of alternative aid for trade categories. The findings show that aid for trade policies expand trade and alleviate international income inequalities in the recipient countries, that will benefit mainly from aid for trade adjustment and technical assistance.

Does Aid for Trade Enhance Export Performance? Investigating the Infrastructure Channel

AbstractThere are few empirical studies assessing the effectiveness of aid for trade as regards trade performance. Furthermore, existing work does not test which are the channels through which aid for trade has an impact on trade performance. We address this question using a two‐step empirical analysis. Relying on an export performance model, we first test whether institutions and infrastructure, our two potential channels of transmission, are significant determinants of export performance. Second, we test the impact of aid for trade sectoral flows on the previously detected determinants of export performance. We show, as part of the first step, that the infrastructure channel is a highly significant determinant of export performance, whereas the institutional channel turns out to have a limited positive impact on developing countries’ export performance. Furthermore, we show, from the second step, that aid for infrastructure, once instrumented, has a strong and positive impact on the infrastructure level. As a result, we find that a ten per cent increase in aid for infrastructure commitments per capita in developing countries leads to an average 2.34 per cent increase in the exports over GDP ratio. It is also equivalent to a 2.71 per cent reduction in tariff and nontariff barriers. These results highlight the high potential impact of aid for trade on developing countries’ export performance throughout the infrastructure channel.

Effectiveness of Aid for Trade in Small and Vulnerable Economies: an empirical assessment - By Massimiliano Cali, Mohammad Razzaque, and Dirk Willem te Velde

Effectiveness of Aid for Trade in Small and Vulnerable Economies: an empirical assessment - By Massimiliano Cali, Mohammad Razzaque, and Dirk Willem te Velde