The gains from economic integration

David Comerford and Jose V Rodriguez Mora
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Jose V Rodriguez Mora: University of Edinburgh, School of Economics

No 1715, Working Papers from University of Strathclyde Business School, Department of Economics

Abstract: This paper measures the effect of political integration, such as sharing a national state or economic union, on the degree of trade integration. Consistently with previous work, we find large border effects. However, such estimates may be biased and overestimate the effects of borders because of endogeneity: selection into sharing a political space is correlated with affinities for trade. We propose a method to address this and to estimate a causal effect. We then conduct speculative exercises showing the costs and benefits of the changing levels of integration associated with: the independence of Scotland, Catalonia and the Basque Country from the UK and Spain (but remaining within the European Union); the UK's exit from the EU; the break-up of the EU itself; and the achievement of frictions between members of the EU similar to those expected between regions of a single country. We find that the border effect between countries is an order of magnitude larger than the border effect associated with the European Union.

Keywords: Border effect; trade; independence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F15 R13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 59 pages
Date: 2017-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eec and nep-int
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Related works:
Journal Article: The gains from economic integration (2019)
Working Paper: The Gains from Economic Integration (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:str:wpaper:1715

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