Liberalization Of International Trade Research Articles

International Trade Liberalization and Domestic Institutional Reform: Effects of WTO Accession on Chinese Internal Migration Policy

Abstract Economic institutions that impede factor mobility become more costly when an economy experiences substantial transitions such as trade liberalization. I study how trade triggers changes in labor institutions that regulate internal migration in the context of China’s Hukou system. Using a newly collected dataset on prefecture-level migration policies, I document an increase in promigrant regulations following WTO entry and estimate the impact of prefecture-level tariffs on exports on migration regulations from 2001 to 2007. I find that regions facing more export market liberalization enacted more migrant-friendly regulations.

The geopolitics of supply chains: EU efforts to ensure security of supply

AbstractRecently, the EU launched a number of initiatives to prevent the weaponising of supply chains and build resilience against interruptions. This article explores attempts to ensure security of supply in three sectors: semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and critical raw materials. The analysis contrasts the measures taken in each sector in order to highlight commonalities and explain differences in approach and impact. This comparison of the EU's three principal policies for mitigating supply chain disruption shows the EU has equipped itself with more policy tools in the area of critical raw materials. The argument put forward to explain this prioritisation is that the weaponisation of critical raw materials has already taken place and risks stoking a political backlash against the EU green deal. Consequently, the evidence shows how the EU's geoeconomic hedging marks a move away from an overriding commitment to free markets as part of the postwar liberal international order. Rather, the EU is experimenting with market‐directing mechanisms involving state aid, stockpiling and regulatory interventions in the name of security of supply. This change illustrates not just the fraying of the liberal international trade order but also the part that the EU is playing in this transformation.

A Study of Global Trade War and Its Impact on Indian Economy

A Study of Global Trade War and Its Impact on Indian Economy

International Trade and Women Employment: The Case of Jordan

Objectives: This study aims to assess the impact of international trade measurements, trade liberalization, and other related variables on the Female Labor Force Participation (FLFP) and Female Employment (FE) in the agricultural, industrial, and services sectors in Jordan from 1990 to 2019. Methods: The study adopts four models and uses the Fully Modified Ordinary Least Square (FMOLS) approach to estimate the effects of International Trade (Trade), Gross Domestic Product per Capita (GDPC), Live Births (LB), Female Enrollment in Secondary School (EFSS), Female Unemployment (FUN), and Jordan’s Accession to the WTO on the FLFP and FE in the three sectors. Results: The empirical results indicate that international trade measurements, Jordan’s WTO accession, EFSS, and FUN have a significantly negative impact on FLFP, except for GDPC which reveals a positive impact on FLFP, while LB proves to be insignificant. Different results were obtained in terms of Female Employment (FE) in the three economic sectors. The trade measurements hurt FE in the agricultural and services sectors, and a positive impact on the industrial sector. Conclusions: One of the most intriguing findings of this study is that Female Employment (FE) in Jordan has experienced adverse impacts due to increased trade openness. Consequently, the government must pursue policies promoting trade openness without adversely affecting FE. This can be achieved by enhancing Female Labor Force Participation (FLFP) through education and training initiatives. Simultaneously, there is a need to consider revising labor laws and regulations. These revisions should unequivocally prohibit gender-based wage discrimination.

Endothelial dysfunction in obesity

ABSTRACT Obesity is a condition caused by excess fat buildup, often measured using the body mass index (BMI) and categorized into underweight, normal weight, and obesity. Obesity is a global epidemic with an alarmingly rising incidence. Obesity is closely associated with insulin resistance, metabolic disorders, hypertension, and atherosclerosis, as well as endothelial dysfunction, which leads to numerous diseases. Noncommunicable diseases are significantly associated with high BMI and can have a negative impact on physical and psychological conditions. Endothelium, the internal lining of blood vessels, controls vascular tone, inflammation, and clotting processes. Endothelial dysfunction is a clinical complication characterized by the loss of normal endothelial cell homeostatic mechanisms. Reduced bioavailability of nitric oxide can be moderately related to endothelial dysfunction, which promotes vascular abruptions such as thrombosis, inflammation, plaque rupture, and other related conditions. The rise in obesity incidence and its global status highlights the urgent need to address responsible factors such as sedentary lifestyles, bad food habits, and globalization. Factors such as dietary modifications, low-cost food and beverages, and liberalization of international trade contribute to obesity, whereas factors such as genetics, poor diet, and lack of physical activity can also contribute to obesity.

Modeling the Relationship Between Market Orientation, Learning Orientation, and Performance of Moroccan SMEs: A Structural Equation Approach

In the field of entrepreneurship, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are highly regarded due to their substantial contributions to growth, development, and innovation. In Morocco, SMEs constitute nearly 97% of the country’s production sector, span various industries, generate 38% of national wealth74% of the workforce, as per the 2021 report from the Moroccan SME Observatory. However, in the face of international trade liberalization, these businesses face intense domestic market competition, impacting their competitiveness and performance. This study explores the significance of ‘market orientation’ and ‘organizational learning orientation’ as crucial managerial practices, enabling SMEs to gain competitive advantages, market differentiation, and higher performance. Utilizing the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theory, the research investigates how learning orientation transforms market practices into improved organizational performance. The study distributed a questionnaire to 113 Moroccan SME managers and applied the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) method to test hypotheses. The results indicate a positive impact of market orientation on Moroccan SME performance. Additionally, the study uncovers a partial mediating effect of organizational learning orientation in this relationship. These findings suggest that enhancing organizational learning orientation can amplify the benefits of market orientation for Moroccan SMEs, providing valuable insights for strategic decisions aimed at enhancing overall performance.

Location, profitability, and international trade liberalization in European textile-clothing firms

In the European traditional manufacturing sector (TMS), there is a vigorous debate concerning the real impact of international trade liberalization on firm profitability. Based on firm-level data from five European countries, we analyze how location, productive subsector, and firm characteristics are associated with the profitability of the European textile-clothing industry in the pre- and post-trade liberalization period. Our results reveal that the externalities derived from geographical proximity were diluted after international trade liberalization. Moreover, larger companies and those that focus on high value-added products, as represented by Northern European firms, show a stronger association with profitability. Accordingly, this observation calls into question the future of some TMS activities in a globalized world. Therefore, manufacturing strategies and industrial policies should be location- and context-specific.

Structural Modifications of International Business Theory and Policy in the Time of Covid-19

The main aim of this work is the presentation of the structural modifications of contemporary international business. International trade in the XXI century has been strongly affected by the force of the economic crisis and COVID-19. The changes are evident in the growing importance of international trade to national economies and to domestic groups within those economies, in the closer linkages between trade and other international issues. Despite the undeniable benefits of the multilateral WTO forum for trade liberalization, the rapid increase of North-South bilateral and multilateral Free Trade Areas (FTAs) begs a systematic explanation for why some forums are prioritized relative to others. This work presents the mercantilist tendencies in the international trade policy, the theory of public choice in foreign trade policy, protectionist pressures in different political systems, the level of protectionist pressures, food producers’ pressure, and conflicts between the tendencies to sustainable international trade liberalization and environmental protection, the increasing importance bilateral agreements in the foreign trade policy and international economy in the time of COVID-19.

What is neoliberalism really? A global analysis of its real-world consequences for development, inequality, and democracy

The notion that the world has been witnessing a profound neoliberal transformation since around the 1980s onward is widely accepted in many parts of social science and the humanities. Moreover, the overarching impression is that this transformation has mostly been regrettable in economic, political, and other social terms. At the same time, careful interdisciplinary research recently uncovered that neoliberalism has been notoriously hard to define. Based on that research, this article first clarifies the conceptual confusion surrounding neoliberalism and presents a broad, synthetic institutions-based working definition of it that captures its typical contemporary usages. The article then asks if a systematic empirical assessment of neoliberalism’s social impact over the past decades across the world is even possible. It suggests it is by empirically operationalizing neoliberalism in three distinct, yet potentially overlapping, ways that appear in the literature: first, as a broad set of economic institutions measured by economic freedom indexes; second, as the process of international trade liberalization (itself proxied by import shocks); and third, as shock-therapy type institutional reforms in (parts of) post-communist Europe. Synthesizing the findings of the existing vast research literature, the main conclusion of the article is that neoliberalism’s social impact has been more nuanced than suggested by prevailing discourse.

Trade Openness, Financial Openness and Income Inequality: Empirical Evidence for MIST Countries/ Ticari Açıklık, Finansal Açıklık ve Gelir Eşitsizliği İlişkisi: MIST Ülkeleri için Ampirik Bulgular

Since the 1980s, income inequality has increased significantly in developed and developing countries. The literature has also seen studies that attempt to explain this rising trend in income inequality. Some studies explaining the increase in income inequality in various ways have focused on economic globalization. Questions on how the steps taken towards liberalization in international trade and finance and increasing market integration affect income inequality have been at the center of the discussions in these studies. Uncertainty about the direction and extent of the link between globalization and inequality persists primarily because of the conflicting empirical findings in the literature. This study aims to contribute to the literature by conducting an empirical analysis of MIST countries with data covering 1987-2019. The study's findings, which used panel data analysis to assess the data, showed that while trade and financial openness reduce income inequality for MIST countries over the analyzed period, foreign direct investments do the opposite. The results also showed that the effect of financial openness on income inequality is greater than the effect of trade openness. It is also discovered that the rate of per capita income increase has no statistically significant impact on income inequality.

Is China's international trade exacerbating urban environmental pollution?——A quasi-natural experiment based on the opening of the CHINA RAILWAY Express

The level of international trade liberalization and facilitation between Chinese cities and countries along the route has increased significantly since the opening of the CHINA RAILWAY Express. Increased economic activity is bound to significantly affect environmental quality. However, academic empirical evidence on the effect of international trade on environmental quality is inconsistent. Moreover, there is need to further clarify the specific effect paths. Based on data from various cities in China, this study examines the direction and potential effect mechanisms of China's international trade activities on the environmental status represented by carbon dioxide using the Staggered Differences-in-Differences method, considering the opening of the CHINA RAILWAY Express as an entry point. The opening of the CHINA RAILWAY Express promotes environmental pollution in Chinese cities; this finding still holds after a series of placebo and robustness tests. A study of the mechanism of influence between the two suggests that the opening of the CHINA RAILWAY Express increased environmental pollution at the city level in China by promoting industrial agglomeration and improving green technology innovation. A study based on regional heterogeneity showed that the opening of the CHINA RAILWAY Express insignificantly negatively affected environmental quality in eastern China but significantly increased environmental pollution in the central and western regions. Further examination of the spoke network effect of the environmental pollution effect of the CHINA RAILWAY Express revealed that the opening of the CHINA RAILWAY Express in one city significantly negatively affected the environmental quality of all cities within a distance of 200 km. Although the CHINA RAILWAY Express reduces the environmental quality of cities in China where they are opened, studies using data from 145 countries or regions worldwide show that access to the CHINA RAILWAY Express is beneficial for the improvement of environmental quality in countries and regions along the route. This study explores the environmental effects of international trade from the perspective of the CHINA RAILWAY Express, enriches the relevant studies on the relationship between the two, and proposes new perspectives and conclusions to provide new empirical evidence and policy recommendations in the context of China's planning to build a strong trade nation and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

When Food is Finance: Seeking Global Justice for Migrant Workers

The steady growth of international labour mobility has been one of the defining features of globalization. Alongside the liberalization of international trade, labour mobility has been a key dynamic propelling economic development in the new millennium. In recent years, migrant labour is increasingly regulated via temporary schemes, deepening and widening migrant precarity. This paper argues that a growing reliance on temporary migrant workers reflects the financialization of global agriculture. Drawing on conceptual debates among scholars of critical finance studies, migration governance and food systems, it explores the implications of financialization for social justice work, asking how a systemic understanding of the migrant experience with financial institutions and practices might enhance rights-based advocacy.

Impact of digitalization of international trade on the economic development of countries

Considering the structure, scope, and subject composition, the critical analysis of the impact of digitalization of international trade on the economic development of countries is represented. This is due to the technological infrastructural asymmetry of global trade that has arisen due to the presence of a digital divide between developed countries (86.6% of the population have Internet access) and LDCs (19.1% of the population) because these countries do not have access to the Internet and do not have the opportunity to be fully involved in e-commerce and cross-border trade in digital products. An additional barrier to developing digital commerce, particularly in the African and Asia-Pacific regions, is the need for more legislation on various trade aspects of e-commerce, consumer protection (for 40% of LDCs), and data privacy (for 43% of LDCs). The influence of the war in Ukraine on the e-commerce market is determined. It is outlined that the studied demand has decreased by 12 times in 2022 compared to the pre-war period. The e-commerce market began to recover in 2023 gradually. The market is expected to reach an almost complete renewal in Ukraine by the end of 2023. The main task will be to expand the scope of existing free trade agreements (FTAs) to services, e-commerce, and investment for Ukraine. Corresponding trends will be observed in the world's global economy, too. Given the availability of an updated regulatory framework on these issues, Ukraine should become a significant player in a few international markets for services and trade in digital products. It is assumed that e-commerce will grow after the end of the war in Ukraine. Keywords: global trading system, World Trade Organization (WTO), trading system asymmetries, regional trade agreements, liberalization of international trade, institutionalization of international trade, digitalization of trade, international trade in services, e-commerce.

New is old? TheEU's Open, Sustainable and Assertive Trade Policy

AbstractThe European Commission presented its Open, Sustainable and Assertive (OSA) trade strategy in early 2021, heralding the document as representing a new and strategic approach to countering dependency and strengthening resiliency. We analyse the OSA through policy paradigms, making two contributions to the trade policy literature. First, we show that embedded liberalism and fair trade—often presented as two trade paradigms —are rather elements of one, namely managed globalisation (MG). Using qualitative and quantitative content analyses, we argue that MG has been more influential in shaping 21st‐century trade policy than heretofore recognised in the literature. Second, we show that the OSA represents a paradigmatic rebalancing and complementarity, between the MG and a realist trade‐as‐foreign‐policy paradigm. The OSA represents an EU seeking to increase its capabilities in order to defend its values and interests, while simultaneously promoting the return to a rules‐based liberal international trading order; the co‐dominance of MG and trade‐as‐foreign‐policy represent an evolution from managing interdependence to managing dependency.

Methodological Approaches to Assessing the Socio-Economic Development of Transnational Corporations Based on Russian Policy Priorities

Transnational corporations (TNCs) are one of the most important actors in both the international and national economies, particularly in the Russian Federation. This paper examines how socio-economic internationalization is realized by increasing the development of transnational corporations, the significance of the role played by transnational corporations in the current economic turmoil in the face of sanctions to ensure sustainable economic growth in the economy and boost global economic competitiveness. The challenge lies in figuring out the proper involvement of TNCs in the national environment, along with the possible risks and benefits for specific economies and other stakeholders. These initiatives should contribute to sustainable socio-economic development and a better quality of life in the current state of the Russian economy. Transnational corporations (TNCs) are one of the driving forces behind the internationalization of international production, the liberalization of international trade, and, ultimately, the development of the national economy. As the scientific and technological revolution progresses, TNCs are becoming one of the most important and dominant phenomena, respectively, and the subjects of the current fundamental economic processes.

Environmental Concern Leads to Trade Skepticism on the Political Left and Right

Abstract The environmental implications of international trade appear to be associated with public backlash against trade liberalization and efforts at greening international trade. Because public support is essential to environmental and trade policy-making alike, we examine the trade–environment nexus from a public opinion perspective. We investigate whether negative attitudes toward trade are in fact fueled by concern over its environmental consequences. We argue that environmental concern affects how citizens evaluate the costs and benefits of trade, and that such evaluation is moderated by political ideology. The empirical analysis relies on a large representative survey and a population-based survey experiment in Switzerland, a small open economy. We show that environmental concern leads to decreasing appreciation of and support for international trade, with different manifestations of trade skepticism on the political left and right. This suggests (i) that policy-makers should focus more on greening global supply chains, and thus trade, if they wish to sustain public support for liberal international trade policy; and (ii) that the public follows informational cues on the environmental impacts of trade.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADE OPENNESS AND ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IN TURKEY AND G7 COUNTRIES: A PANEL DATA ANALYSIS UNDER CROSS-SECTIONAL DEPENDENCE

1970’lerin sonunda dış ticarette serbestleştirmeyi teşvik eden politikaların küresel çapta uygulanmasıyla beraber dünya genelinde ekonomik büyüme ve dışa açıklık oranlarında ciddi artışlar meydana gelmiştir. Ancak yine aynı süreçte çevresel bozulmalar görülmüş, bu nedenle sürdürülebilir kalkınma tartışmaları gündemde yerini almıştır. Çevresel bozulmanın göstergelerinin ölçümü, sürdürülebilirliğin ne ölçüde sağlandığının anlaşılması adına önem kazanmıştır. Çevresel bozulmanın önemli bir göstergesi olarak ekolojik ayak izi kavramı ön plana çıkmıştır. Bu bağlamda dışa açıklığın ekolojik ayak izini ne ölçüde ve hangi yönde etkilediğini belirlemek önem kazanmaktadır. Bu çalışmada ekolojik ayak izi ile dışa açıklık arasındaki ilişki G7 ülkeleri ve Türkiye için 1998-2017 döneminde yatay kesit bağımlılığını dikkate alan panel veri analizi yöntemiyle test edilmiştir. Ampirik bulgular, dışa açıklığın ve büyümenin ekolojik ayak izini artırdığını, yenilenebilir enerji tüketiminin ise ekolojik ayak izini azalttığını ortaya koymaktadır. Ulaşılan bu sonuçlardan hareketle G7 ülkeleri ve Türkiye özelinde politika önerileri tartışılmaktadır.

The Impact of Tax Policy on Investment Decisions: A Case Study in the Manufacturing Industry

This research delves into the intricate relationship between tax policy and investment decisions within the manufacturing industry. Through a comprehensive literature review, the study aims to elucidate the impact of tax incentives on investment behavior, particularly focusing on their effectiveness in stimulating innovation and competitiveness among manufacturing firms. Employing qualitative research methodology, the selection of literature involves identifying and analyzing scholarly articles, books, and reports that provide insights into the research topic. Data collection entails systematic gathering of information from selected sources, while data analysis involves identifying themes, patterns, and relationships within the literature. The findings underscore the pivotal role of tax incentives, such as investment tax credits, accelerated depreciation, and research and development (R&D) deductions, in shaping investment decisions within the manufacturing sector. Moreover, the differential effects of tax policy reforms on firms of different sizes, the influence of global dynamics including international tax competition and trade liberalization, and the implications for future research are discussed. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms through which tax policy influences investment decisions, offering insights for policymakers and businesses to navigate the complexities of the global economy more effectively.

Path Deconstruction of Agricultural Environmental Sustainable Development Policy in the Process of International Agricultural Trade Liberalization.

Agriculture is particularly essential in the equilibrium between man and nature because of its intimate contact with nature. So the cornerstone for the sustainable development of the human economy and society is the sustainable development of agriculture. When it comes to global trade, agricultural trade has always been in a very special position. The basic situation of agriculture involves food safety, environmental protection, Chinese politics, and many other issues. In order to overcome the problems of overlapping, repetitive, and too many indicators in the evaluation method of agricultural environmental sustainable development and unfavorable for practical operation, this paper proposes an ecological footprint model based on emergy. The model can effectively evaluate the ability of sustainable development of agricultural environment and solve the problem that traditional evaluation methods cannot comprehensively evaluate. This makes agricultural development sustainable and is conducive to the liberalization of international agricultural trade. The experimental results of this paper show that from 2014 to 2018, the degree of damage to the agricultural environment has increased from 21% to 45%, which has led to a decline in the quality of agricultural products, and the output and sales are not as good as before. It can be seen that only by ensuring the sustainable development of the agricultural environment can we ensure the smooth progress of the international agricultural trade liberalization and make China's economy flourish.

Systematic literature review on trade liberalization and sustainable development

This paper compiles a systematic review of research papers that identify the effect of international trade and trade liberalization policies on socio-economic targets linked to the sustainable development goals (SDGs). A comprehensive overview of the existing literature is provided, focusing on papers that identify causality and covering topics that have not been systematically analyzed previously. While existing literature reviews have focused on the effects of trade openness on economic growth, its consequences for other social- and sustainable-related goals have received much less attention. We restrict the review to social- and sustainability-related SDGs and classify the empirical findings in four categories. First, we analyze the extent to which trade affects poverty (SDGs-1, 2, 8). The findings indicate that trade increases average incomes in most cases and that trade reforms that include the agricultural sector generally reduce poverty. Second, we examine labor market outcomes and analyze how international trade affects wages, unemployment, and informality (SDGs-1, 5, 8). We find that with more trade, employment and wages increase in the most dynamic sectors, but decrease in others with increases in informality in some developing countries. The third bloc documents papers that evaluate whether trade is good or bad for environmental quality, evaluating how trade reforms and increases in openness affect the environment at the macro and micro level (SDGs-3, 7, 11, 12, 15). The reviewed research indicates that the effects of trade on environmental quality are complex and depend on the sectors that liberalize and the existence of environmental standards linked to trade agreements. The fourth category concerns the effect of trade flows on food security, hence questioning whether opening the economies could contribute to better performance in SDG-2 and SDG-9. In this area, the literature is still incipient and deals mainly with correlations. More research is needed to better define the concept of food security and related indicators and to collect better data. In summary, this systematic review should guide policymakers in developing countries in the decision-making process related to trade and industrial policies. The main recommendation is to consider the main findings when designing new trade policy strategies concerning both unilateral trade liberalization and free trade agreements negotiations.