The WTO Promotes Trade, Strongly But Unevenly

Arvind Subramanian and Shang-Jin Wei

No 10024, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Contrary to the recent literature that concludes that the GATT/WTO has been completely ineffective in promoting world trade, this paper furnishes robust evidence that the institution has had a powerful and positive impact on trade. The impact has, however, been uneven. GATT/WTO membership for industrial countries has been associated with a large increase in imports estimated at about 44 percent of world trade. The same has not been true for developing country members, although those that joined after the Uruguay Round have benefited from increased imports. Similarly, there has been an asymmetric impact between sectors. These results are consistent with the history and design of the institution.

JEL-codes: F1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2003-10
Note: IFM ITI
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Related works:
Working Paper: The WTO Promotes Trade, Strongly But Unevenly (2005)
Working Paper: The WTO Promotes Trade, Strongly but Unevenly (2003)
Journal Article: The WTO promotes trade, strongly but unevenly (2007)
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