The Effects of Cultural Differences on Bilateral Trade Patterns

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 637-668
Author(s):  
Raymond J. MacDermott ◽  
Dekuwmini Mornah

We argue that using the aggregate of the Euclidian distance of different dimensions of culture to measure the impact of culture on bilateral trade patterns as is conventional in the literature is flawed. Using recent innovations in gravity model estimations and adopting the GLOBE team dimensions of culture, we confirm that the aggregate measure of culture imposes arbitrary functional forms, wrongly assumes symmetry in the effect of culture on bilateral trade, generalizes the effect of culture on trade and lacks policy relevancy. Our novel approach also allows us to determine which aspects of culture promote trade and which aspects do not.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10545
Author(s):  
Sung Ju Cho ◽  
Saera Oh ◽  
Sang Hyeon Lee

This study quantifies the structure similarity of nontariff measures between countries and estimates its impact on bilateral agricultural trade using a structural gravity model. The findings show that a similar structure of technical barriers to trade (TBT) between countries is likely to expand their bilateral trade. However, a similar structure of sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS) is shown to have negative impacts on agricultural trade. We also discuss the effects of regulatory harmonization on sustainable development.


2019 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
RAKESH KUMAR

This paper highlights the policy aspects of India and China, in the context of consensus building on bilateral trade, which is the cornerstone of diplomatic and political ties between the two countries. India and China have witnessed uninterrupted economic development with a significant rise in bilateral trade because of protrade policies in the last few decades. In this backdrop, this paper examines the dynamic spillovers of India–China’s bilateral trade on the economic growth of the two countries. For the purpose, Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model in multivariate framework is utilized with gross capital formation (GCF) and foreign direct investment (FDI) as two additional explanatory variables. The results highlight that the India–China bilateral trade share has significant long-run impact on the growth of GDP per capita (GDPP) of the two countries, while the impact is more pronounced for China. The growth rates of the two countries are found significantly cointegrated with the variables in question. The results provide important insights in foreign trade patterns, with policy implication for trade and economic co-operations between the two countries.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 187-207
Author(s):  
Waheed Ullah Jan ◽  
Mahmood Shah

This paper attempts to examine Pakistan’s trade patterns with South Asian countries by using a gravity model of trade. The main objective of the study is to quantify the long‑run impacts of gravity variables. To achieve this objective, a panel data set for the period 2003 to 2017 has been used. Based on the mixed evidence of the results of panel unit root tests, Pooled Mean Group (PMG) and Panel Dynamic Ordinary Least Square (DOLS) techniques are applied. The outcome of the PMG and Panel DOLS models justifies the theoretical background of the gravity model and suggests that all the basic gravity variables haveusual signs. The RGDPs and population of both Pakistan and the partner country have a positive impact on their bilateral trade. On the other hand, the distance between the two trading countries and the exchange rate have a negative impact on bilateral trade.The uniqueness of this study is that it measures the impacts of qualitative variables along with basic gravity variables. Language similarities and common borders have a positive impact on bilateral trade. Pakistan has borders with India and Afghanistan, but their trade relations are not worth mentioning. The military conflicts between Pakistan and India, and the political suspicions between Pakistan and Afghanistan hinder their trade relations.


Author(s):  
Emmanuel Yamoah Cobbold ◽  
Dan Owusu

This research studies the impact of macroeconomic shocks from African and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on China’s bilateral trade with them. Data on (GDP) per capita, FDI, inflation, unemployment rates, and trade openness (TO) of China’s African and ASEAN partners were sourced from the World Bank whilst imports and exports data were from the world integrated trade solutions (WITS). It uses the gravity model as a basis and the panel corrected standard errors (PCSE) as well as multivariate regression estimators. The findings reveal that per capita of China’s partners have a strong positive impact on trade with them. Trade openness is reported to increase China’s imports but reduce exports to these partners. Further, an increase in FDI inflows to China’s trade partners leads to an increase in both imports and exports of China. KEYWORDS: Economic shocks, international trade, China, Africa, ASEAN, gravity model


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 1015-1038
Author(s):  
Zhijie Guan ◽  
Jim Kwee Fat Ip Ping Sheong

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to analyse the different factors affecting Sino-African trade based on the gravity model, and propose some solutions to improve the problems.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on an extended gravity model, including trade agreement and recession as explanatory variables. The impacts of trade agreement and economic recession on Sino-African imports and exports are examined.FindingsThe results show that the product of GDP affects African exports to China significantly and negatively, and affects African imports from China positively. Real exchange rate affects African exports to China positively, and affects African imports from China negatively. Population affect African exports to China significantly and positively, and affect African imports from China positively. Recession have negative effects on both African imports from China and exports to China but is only significant for imports. Agreement affects African imports from China and exports to China positively. Our findings confirm the impact of economic recession, and imply that the structure of African product exported to China should be improved, and trade agreements should be reinforced.Originality/valueThis paper contributes and extends the literature on Sino-African trade by improving the traditional gravity model to include the impact of all trade agreements, and their aggregating effects on trade. The paper also seeks to assess the trade impact of economic recession through a dynamic gravity model approach for which there has been no research done to our knowledge. In this regard, it provides new understanding of the trade pattern between China and Africa, and ways in improving the Sino-African bilateral trade.


Author(s):  
Mauro Lanati ◽  
Alessandra Venturini

AbstractCultural differences play an important role in shaping migration patterns. The conventional proxies for cross country cultural differences, such as common language; ethnicity; genetic traits; or religion, implicitly assume that cultural proximity between two countries is constant over time and symmetric. This is far from realistic. This paper proposes a gravity model for international migration which explicitly allows for the time varying and asymmetric dimensions of cultural proximity. In accordance with Disdier, Tai, Fontagné, Mayer (Rev World Econ, 145(4):575–595, 2010) we assume that the evolution of bilateral cultural affinity over time is reflected in the intensity of bilateral trade in cultural goods. The empirical framework includes a comprehensive set of high dimensional fixed effects which enable identification of the impact of cultural proximity on migration over and beyond the effect of pre-existing cultural and historical ties. The results are robust across different econometric techniques and suggest that positive changes in cultural relationships over time foster bilateral migration.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Banna Banik ◽  
Chandan Kumar Roy

PurposeExchange rate uncertainty leads to an indecisive environment for imports and exports that would condense international trade, foreign direct investment, trade earnings, trade volumes, economic growth and welfare. This study aims to examine, empirically, the effect of exchange rate uncertainty on bilateral trade performance, focusing on eight SAARC member economies using the popular modified gravity model of trade.Design/methodology/approachThe paper includes eight SAARC members – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka panel data set over the period 2005–2018. The authors consider both standardized value (standard deviation) and conditional variance model to determine volatility of exchange rate. Primarily, ordinary least squares, random effects and fixed effects estimation techniques are employed to investigate the impact of exchange rate volatility. Endogeneity and robustness of the findings have been tested using the simultaneity-adjusted model and dynamic panel data two-step system GMM estimation techniques.FindingsEmpirical findings endorse the view that exchange rate volatility lowers trade flows in the SAARC regions. However, this adverse effect of exchange rate uncertainty on trade is pretty small. The negative correlation between exchange rate volatility and bilateral trade remains consistent and significant after controlling of simultaneous causality, autocorrelation, year effects, country-pair heterogeneity and endogeneity irrespective of panel data estimation techniques and different measures of volatility.Originality/valueThe present paper is original work.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0249118
Author(s):  
Xing Yao ◽  
Yongzhong Zhang ◽  
Rizwana Yasmeen ◽  
Zhen Cai

Trade agreements are thought to raise trade integration, but existing preferential trade agreements (PTAs) are insufficient in measuring market access of products. This study develops a product-based coverage index of PTAs using the World Trade Organization (WTO) preferential trade agreements and calculates bilateral trade measures using the EORA multi-regional input-output (MRIO) tables covering 189 countries worldwide over the period 1990–2015; the structural gravity model is employed to test how PTAs affect bilateral trade. Our findings show that countries sharing a common PTA could boost the trade volume compared to those without PTAs, supporting the trade creation effect. However, the trade promotion effect of the product-based coverage index of PTAs is significant only if the member countries are low-and middle-income countries. Further, the wide range of product liberalization brought by PTAs can promote global production networks by stimulating the trade of intermediate goods. Our results are important for understanding the market access effect of PTAs with the increasing development of trade integration and global value chains (GVCs).


Author(s):  
Bao Dinh Ho ◽  
Minh Van Pham ◽  
Thai Vinh Pham ◽  
Hieu Nhu Truong

This paper used a stochastic frontier gravity model to evaluate the bilateral trade efficiency of Vietnam using the bilateral trade data of Vietnam’s main trade counterparts in the period 2000- 2015. Trade efficiency means the actual trade in comparison with the trade potential. Empirical results show that Vietnam’s trade performance was significantly lower than the potential level. Joining the WTO did not improve trade efficiency. The impact of FTAs on exploiting bilateral trade potential is heterogeneous across counterparts.


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