Trade liberalization, factor market flexibility, and growth : the case of Morocco and Tunisia

In recent years there has been an increasing recognition of the importance of complementary policies in enhancing the benefits of a more open trade regime. This study focuses on the importance of factor market flexibility to trade reforms. Using the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model and database, the results show that the welfare impact of trade reform is contingent on the flexibility of factor markets, with higher welfare gains occurring where factor markets are more flexible, and vice-versa. Defining two extreme factor market scenarios over Morocco and Tunisia, the author finds that the welfare gains of trade reforms under conditions of flexible factor markets can be as much as six times the gains compared with a rigid factor market scenario. This is so because whereas trade reforms may improve the incentive structure for resource reallocation, the extent to which resources move from less efficient to more efficient sectors of an economy is dependent on the degree of flexibility of factor markets.Free Trade,Economic Theory&Research,Markets and Market Access,Trade and Regional Integration,Trade Law

The impact of regional trade agreements and trade facilitation in the Middle East and North Africa region

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region's trade performance over the past two decades has been disappointing. Efforts to boost trade through a plethora of regional trade agreements (RTAs) are underway. This study examines the potential contribution of regional trade agreements, as well as trade facilitation improvements, in enhancing the development prospects of the region. Using the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model and database, both intra-regional integration and integration with the European Union are observed to have a favorable impact on welfare in the MENA region. The welfare gains from integrating with the European Union are observed to be at least twice as much as intra-regional integration. Furthermore, these welfare gains are observed to at least triple when the implementation of the RTAs is complemented with trade facilitation improvements.Free Trade,Trade Law,Trade Policy,Economic Theory&Research,Trade and Regional Integration

Trade costs, barriers to entry, and export diversification in developing countries

This paper finds that a 1 percent reduction in the cost of exporting or the cost of international transport is associated with an export diversification gain of 0.3 percent or 0.4 percent respectively. Lower domestic market entry costs can also promote diversification, but the elasticity is weaker (-0.1). To obtain these results, the authors construct new measures of export diversification for 118 developing countries using highly detailed 8-digit mirror data from the European Union. The analysis also incorporates new export cost data from the World Bank's Doing Business database, covering document preparation, inland transport, administrative fees, and port/customs charges. Findings are highly robust, including to the use of geography and colonial history as instruments for trade and entry costs. Both the signs and relative magnitudes of these effects are consistent with predictions from a heterogeneous firms model of trade with asymmetric costs.Housing&Human Habitats,E-Finance and E-Security,Mining&Extractive Industry (Non-Energy),Educational Technology and Distance Education,Transport Economics Policy&Planning

Canada Goose Harvest and Hunter Activity in the Southern Illinois Quota Zone during the 1978 Season

Division of Wildlife Resources Migratory Bird Section, Periodic Report No. 26Report issued on: May 9, 197

Reducing plagiarism and improving writing: A lesson from Chinese painting

Both research and experience has established that plagiarism is a relatively common feature in L2 writing. This is the result of several factors, including lack of understanding of the original material, limitations in academic vocabulary, time constraints, and so on. Although there are specific sanctioned instances where copying and presenting works as your own in cultures such as Chinese, plagiarism is never allowed. How then can a university level writing instructor overcome the confusion this creates among groups such as Chinese L2 students? In response to this question, the author proposes a theoretical model, based upon a traditional analytical framework for Chinese painting – where copying is a requirement. This model mimics the Six Principles proposed by Hsieh He’s [or Xiè Hè’s – 謝赫] in 520 AD. By modifying, translating, and directly applying these Six Principles to writing, students can better learn how to avoid plagiarism, gain a greater understanding of the material they are reading, and develop ways to better express themselves

Studies on the Development of Intestinal Secretory Immunity to Colibacillosis in the Piglet.

The interaction between the cellular components of the intestinal mucosa and its lumenal environment has been studied in the piglet with the objective of establishing an early onset of secretory antibodies against pathogenic E. coli. Morphological evaluation of the mucosal architecture during development showed that inflammatory changes occur in apparently healthy suckling piglets as early as 10 days after birth. These changes, which become progressively more severe as the animal ages, are greatly exacerbated by E. coli infection. The proximal small bowel is the area most affected, indicating that protective immune function should be preferentially directed towards this region. A quantitative evaluation of macromolecular absorption at different levels of small intestine, using both horse-radish peroxidase and E. coli endotoxin indicated that uptake was greatest in the anterior small bowel and that the rate of absorption decreased with age. Uptake of one macromolecule was not affected by the presence of the other suggesting lack of competition for binding sites on the absorptive epithelium. Immunofluorescent studies on intestinal mucosa of pigs of varying age demonstrated IgM containing cells in duodenal lamina propria of 2 day old animals. IgM cells continued to out number IgA and IgG cells until the animals were weaned at 3 weeks old, thereafter IgA cells predominated. In vitro evaluation of intestinal secretory antibody production in response to oral immunization showed specific antibodies in 14 day old pigs immunized from 4 days old. The greatest response was obtained from the anterior small bowel, again emphasising the importance of this region. The protection conferred by early oral vaccination was determined, in vivo, in piglets experimentally infected with enteropathogenic E. coli and weaned at 14 days of age. The faecal E. coli count of the vaccinated group was reduced 100 fold compared to the placebo group and their weight gain after 1 week was 15% greater. The implications of these findings are discussed