Has Japan been left out in the cold by regional integration?

Despite the ongoing worldwide trend toward regional integration, Japan has remained outside of all regional trading agreements. Because more than 60 percent of Japan’s trade is with countries that are members of a major regional bloc, this reluctance may have had significant effects on its pattern and volume of trade. Indeed, the author finds that Japan’s exports have been reduced by the integration of its trading partners, and that this effect has been fairly uniform across integration regimes. The author also finds that regional trading agreements have tended to have a much more negative effect on Japanese trade than on the trade of other nonmembers.Japan ; Free trade ; International trade

Regional business cycle phases in Japan

This paper uses a Markov-switching model with structural breaks to characterize and compare regional business cycles in Japan for the period 1976-2005. An early-1990s structural break meant a reduction in national and regional growth rates in expansion and recession, usually resulting in an increase in the spread between the two phases. Although recessions tended to be experienced across a majority of regions throughout the sample period, the occurrence and lengths of recessions at the regional level have increased over time.Economic conditions - Japan ; Business cycles

NAFTA and the geography of North American trade

Debates over the desirability a preferential trading area (PTA) begin with the supposition that it will have two effects on trade: it will increase trade between PTA members, and decrease trade between members and non-members. This paper demonstrates, however, that at the regional level the effects of NAFTA have been much more complicated than what is normally supposed. Specifically, I find that NAFTA has meant (i) less trade between Eastern Canada and the United States and Mexico, (ii) more trade between Central Canada and the United States and Mexico, and (iii) more trade between Western Canada and Mexico, but no change in the volume of trade between Western Canada and the United States. I also find that NAFTA has decreased trade between Canadian regions and both Europe and Asia, while increasing Mexico's trade with Asia.North American Free Trade Agreement

The "man-cession" of 2008-2009: it's big, but it's not great

That men are losing jobs at a much faster rate than women during this recession shouldn't be a surprise. The pattern is typical. And it's not just the men in the hard hats who are out of a job - men in almost all categories of work are being affected disproportionately.Recessions ; Unemployment

Regional business cycle phases in Japan

This paper uses a Markov-switching model with structural breaks to characterize and compare regional business cycles in Japan for 1976-2005. An early 1990s structural break meant a reduction in national and regional growth rates in expansion and recession, usually resulting in an increase in the spread between the two phases. Although recessions tended to be experienced across a majority of regions throughout the sample period, the occurrence and lengths of recessions at the regional level have increased over time.Business cycles ; Economic conditions - Japan

Entrepreneurship and the deregulation of banking: how strong is the evidence?

This paper presents evidence that banking deregulation led to decreases in entrepreneurship in some U.S. regions, and to increases in others. This is contrary to recent research that found an unambiguous positive relationship.Banks and banking

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Employment (Economic theory)

NAFTA and the geography of North American trade

Debates over the desirability of a preferential trading area frequently begin with the supposition that it will have two effects on the volume of trade: It will increase trade between members of the trading area and decrease trade between members and nonmembers. This paper demonstrates, however, that at the regional level the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) might have been much more complicated than what is normally supposed. Specifically, according to gravity model estimates, NAFTA has meant (i) less trade between Eastern Canada and the United States and Mexico, (ii) more trade between Central Canada and the United States and Mexico, and (iii) more trade between Western Canada and Mexico but no change in the volume of trade between Western Canada and the United States. The model also indicates that NAFTA has decreased trade between Canadian regions and both Europe and Asia, while increasing Mexico’s trade with Asia.North American Free Trade Agreement

A recession for the educated?

Unemployment