2024/03/11 by Mario Larch, Yoto V. Yotov · 44 citations
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Econometrics #Economics #Global trade and economics #International Development and Aid #International economics #International trade #World Trade Organization Law
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/twec.13569
published in World Economy 47(5), 1771-1799 (Wiley)
crossref issued 2024/03/11 · crossref published 2024/03/11 · crossref published-online 2024/03/11 · openalex publication_date 2024/03/11 · crossref created 2024/03/12 · crossref deposited 2024/04/25 · crossref published-print 2024/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/08/02 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/02
Abstract Starting with Tinbergen (1962, Shaping the world economy: Suggestions for an international economic policy , The Twentieth Century Fund), quantifying the effects of regional trade agreements (RTAs) on international trade flows has always been among the most popular topics in the trade literature. Also not surprisingly, to estimate the effects of RTAs, most researchers and policy analysts have relied on the workhorse model of trade—the gravity equation. Over the past 60 years, there have been many important developments in the RTA literature, both in terms of better methods to quantify their effects, and in terms of more and higher quality data. The objective of this paper is to trace the evolution of the methods and data developments in the RTA literature, from Tinbergen's very first exploration until today, and to critically evaluate their significance for our ability to measure the impact of RTAs (and other policies) on international trade.