Services liberalization in preferential trade arrangements : the case of Kenya

Given the growing importance of commitments to foreign investors in services in regional trade agreements, it is important to develop applied general equilibrium models to assess the impacts of liberalization of barriers to multinational service providers. This paper develops a 55 sector applied general equilibrium model of Kenya with foreign direct investment and Dixit-Stiglitz productivity effects from additional varieties of imperfectly competitive goods or services, and uses the model to assess its regional and multilateral trade options, focusing on commitments to foreign investors in services. To assess the sensitivity of the results to parameter values, the model is executed 30,000 times, and results are reported as confidence intervals of the sample distributions. The analysis reveals that a 50 percent preferential reduction in the ad valorem equivalents of barriers in all business services by Kenya with its African partners would be somewhat beneficial for Kenya. If a preferential agreement with African partners is combined with an agreement with the European Union, the gains would more than triple the gains of an Africa only agreement. Multilateral reduction of services barriers, however, would yield gains about 12 times the gains of an agreement with the Africa region alone. These results suggest that preferential liberalization in the region is a valuable first step, but wider liberalization, with larger partners and liberal rules of origin or multilaterally, will yield much larger gains due to providing access to a much wider set of services providers. The largest gains would come from domestic regulatory reform in services, as this would almost triple the gains of multilateral liberalization.Economic Theory&Research,Emerging Markets,Public Sector Corruption&Anticorruption Measures,Transport Economics Policy&Planning,Free Trade

Modeling services liberalization : the case of Kenya

This paper employs a 55 sector small open economy computable general equilibrium model of the Kenyan economy to assess the impact of the liberalization of regulatory barriers against foreign and domestic business service providers in Kenya. The model incorporates productivity effects in both goods and services markets endogenously, through a Dixit-Stiglitz framework. It estimates the ad valorem equivalent of barriers to foreign direct investment based on detailed questionnaires completed by specialists in Kenya. The authors estimate that Kenya will gain about 11 percent of the value of Kenyan consumption in the medium run (or about 10 percent of gross domestic product) from a full reform package that also includes uniform tariffs. The estimated gains increase to 77 percent of consumption in the long-run steady-state model, where the impact on the accumulation of capital from an improvement in the productivity of capital is taken into account. Decomposition exercises reveal that the largest gains to Kenya will derive from liberalization of costly regulatory barriers that are non-discriminatory in their impacts between Kenyan and multinational service providers.Transport Economics Policy&Planning,Economic Theory&Research,Banks&Banking Reform,Emerging Markets,Debt Markets

Mathematics of Generalized Versions of the Melitz, Krugman, and Armington Models with Detailed Derivations

We provide detailed textbook style mathematical derivations of an extended version of the heterogenous firms model of Melitz (2003), as well as the Armington (1969) and Krugman (1980) models. Our model of heterogeneous firms extends the model of Melitz (2003) by allowing multiple sectors, intermediates, heterogeneous regions based on data, labor-leisure choice, initial heterogeneous tariffs, multiple factors of production, the possibility of sector-specific inputs and trade imbalances based on data, and we incorporate global and unilateral tariff policy shocks. Although the models in this paper are extensions in numerous directions of the Melitz trade model of heterogeneous firms, the pedagogical approach in this paper should substantially facilitate the accessibility of the applied heterogenous-firms model of international trade. Balistreri and Tarr (2022) apply these models to GTAP data where they assess the relative welfare impacts in the Armington, Krugman, and Melitz style models of trade cost reductions in eighteen model variants. This paper documents the equations of those models, and we hope it will be a clear roadmap for understanding and constructing modern multi-sector, multi-region international trade models that must be fitted to data. Supplemental Materials attached below

Toll-like receptor-4 signaling pathway in aorta aging and diseases: "its double nature"

Recent advances in the field of innate immunity have revealed a complex role of innate immune signaling pathways in both tissue homeostasis and disease. Among them, the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) pathways has been linked to various pathophysiological conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This has been interrogated by developing multiple laboratory tools that have shown in animal models and clinical conditions, the involvement of the TLR-4 signaling pathway in the pathophysiology of different CVDs, such as atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, ischemia-reperfusion injury and aorta aneurysm. Among these, aorta aneurysm, a very complex pathological condition with uncertain etiology and fatal complications (i.e. dissection and rupture), has been associated with the occurrence of high risk cardiovascular conditions, including thrombosis and embolism. In this review, we discuss the possible role of TLR-4signaling pathway in the development of aorta aneurysm, considering the emerging evidence from ongoing investigations. Our message is that emphasizing the role of TLR-4signaling pathway in aorta aneurysm may serve as a starting point for future studies, leading to a better understanding of the pathophysiological basis and perhaps the effective treatment of this difficult human disease

Deep Integration in Eastern and Southern Africa: What are the Stakes?

Evidence indicates that trade costs are a much more substantial barrier to trade than tariffs, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. We decompose trade costs into (a) trade facilitation; (b) non-tariff barriers and (c) the costs of business services. We develop a conceptually innovative model and new dataset to assess deep integration to reduce these three types of trade costs in the East African Community, the Common Market of East and Southern Africa and South African Development Community (EAC-COMESA-SADC) ‘Tripartite' Free Trade Area (FTA), within the EAC alone and unilaterally by the EAC. We find that there are substantial gains for all six of our African regions from deep integration in the Tripartite FTA or comparable unilateral reforms by the EAC; but the estimated gains vary considerably across countries and depend on the reform. Thus, countries would have an interest in negotiating for different reforms in different agreements. Tariff removal in the Tripartite FTA would produce only small losses or gains, depending on the country. Interestingly, we estimate that Kenya gains less from comparable unilateral liberalisation by the EAC than from the Tripartite FTA, due in part to an umbrella of protection in services markets in the Tripartite regio

Racial Differences in the Relationship Between Infant Mortality and Socioeconomic Status

This study presents an ecological analysis of the relationship between infant mortality and economic status by race in metropolitan Ohio, using census data on mother\u27s residence and economic status determined by the percentage of low-income families living in each area. The analysis updates previous studies as white-non-white comparisons for total infant mortality are examined for the US censuses of 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000; and more detailed period- and broad cause-specific rates are presented for 2000. A pronounced inverse association is consistently found between income status and infant mortality for whites, while for non-whites this pattern first emerges in 1979-81, disappears during the 1980s and then returns more strongly during the 1990s. Similarly, the 2000 data reveal a consistent inverse pattern between income status and infant mortality for white and non-white neonatal and postneonatal death rates, as well as exogenous cause-specific death rates. It is concluded that low-income whites and non-whites have infant mortality rates substantially higher than the overall rate for the population. Policy implications are discussed

Oxidative Stress in the Pathogenesis of Aorta Diseases as a Source of Potential Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets, with a Particular Focus on Ascending Aorta Aneurysms

: Aorta diseases, such as ascending aorta aneurysm (AsAA), are complex pathologies, currently defined as inflammatory diseases with a strong genetic susceptibility. They are difficult to manage, being insidious and silent pathologies whose diagnosis is based only on imaging data. No diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers or markers of outcome have been known until now. Thus, their identification is imperative. Certainly, a deep understanding of the mechanisms and pathways involved in their pathogenesis might help in such research. Recently, the key role of oxidative stress (OS) on the pathophysiology of aorta disease has emerged. Here, we describe and discuss these aspects by revealing some OS pathways as potential biomarkers, their underlying limitations, and potential solutions and approaches, as well as some potential treatments

Are Endothelial Progenitor Cells the Real Solution for Cardiovascular Diseases? Focus on Controversies and Perspectives

Advanced knowledge in the field of stem cell biology and their ability to provide a cue for counteracting several diseases are leading numerous researchers to focus their attention on \u201cregenerative medicine\u201d as possible solutions for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, the lack of consistent evidence in this arena has hampered the clinical application. The same condition affects the research on endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), creating more confusion than comprehension. In this review, this aspect is discussed with particular emphasis. In particular, we describe biology and physiology of EPCs, outline their clinical relevance as both new predictive, diagnostic, and prognostic CVD biomarkers and therapeutic agents, discuss advantages, disadvantages, and conflicting data about their use as possible solutions for vascular impairment and clinical applications, and finally underline a very crucial aspect of EPCs \u201ccharacterization and definition,\u201d which seems to be the real cause of large heterogeneity existing in literature data on this topic

Design and Fabrication of Terahertz Metallic Gratings on a Two-Wire Waveguide

In this study, we present the design, fabrication and experimental characterization of waveguide-integrated gratings operating at THz frequencie

Genotyping of Sex Hormone-Related Pathways in Benign and Malignant Human Prostate Tissues: Data of a Preliminary Study

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a major health issue in Westernized countries, representing a common cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly male population. Endogenous sex steroids, along with environmental factors (notably diet) and host immune and inflammatory responses, are likely to cooperate in the pathogenesis of the disease. Based on the assumption that a complex endocrine–inflammatory-immune interaction is primarily implicated in human PCa, we have investigated the interplay between sex steroids and inflammation in development and growth of human PCa. To this end, we have assessed nine functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP)s of five genes involved in sex hormone-related pathways in both hyperplastic and malignant human prostate tissues, as well as in matched controls and in a ‘‘supercontrol’’ group composed of male Sicilian centenarians. In particular, the following genes were investigated: AR-OMIM313700, SRD5A2-NM-000348, CYP19-NM-031226, ERS1-NM-001122742, ERS2-NM-001040276. A significant association with prostate cancer was found in seven out of the nine SNPs considered. Although this is a preliminary study and larger investigations are needed to confirm the role of these genes in PCa development and/or progression, our data might provide an experimental basis to develop additional or alternative strategies for prevention and treatment of PCa