Trade and International Integration

The Trade and International Integration Research Program aims to improve understanding of the role of global economic integration in development and poverty reduction. We are also developing databases and analytic tools to analyze the impact of policy reforms.

Featured

eSeminar: The Labor Market Impacts of COVID-19

July 2020
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has sparked deep concerns about the effects of the pandemic shock on employment. Panelists discussed new research on how COVID-19 is rapidly changing labor market outcomes around the globe. Panelists: Nicholas Bloom (Stanford University), Edward Glaeser (Harvard University), Bob Rijkers (World Bank), and David Autor (MIT)
Video and Event Materials | Newsletter on Labor Markets (July 2020)
eSeminar: Labor Mobility, Migration, and COVID-19
May 2020
The impact of border closures and lockdowns on labor markets has been swift and severe. Panelists highlighted preliminary results of projects in Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone and presented a dynamic labor mobility framework that incorporates an epidemiological model to examine the effectiveness of various suppression mechanisms.
Video and Related Event Materials
The Distributional Effects of International Trade: Facts and Misconceptions

February 2020
Has international trade contributed to a growing rift between winners and losers in the global economy? Over the last decade, researchers have developed new empirical and analytical approaches to answer this question. In this talk, Erhan Artuc will lay out the facts, answers, and misconceptions surrounding this growing literature.
Event Information | Video | Presentation | Newsletter | Policy Research Talks | More research by Erhan Artuc
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WORKING PAPERS

Who on Earth Can Work from Home?
Daniel Garrote Sanchez, Nicolas Gomez Parra, Caglar Ozden, Bob Rijkers, Mariana Viollaz, Hernan Winkler
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 9347, July 2020

Income Distribution, International Integration and Sustained Poverty Reduction
Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg, Tristan Reed
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 9342, July 2020

Gender Empowerment, Supply-Chain Linkages and Foreign Direct Investment: Evidence On Bangladesh
Ana Margarida Fernandes, Hiau Looi Kee
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 9340, July 2020

The Evolution of Deep Trade Agreements
Aaditya Mattoo, Nadia Rocha, Michele Ruta
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 9283, June 2020

More Working Papers

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Software Adoption, Employment Composition, and the Skill Content of Occupations in Chilean Firms
Rita Almeida, Ana M. Fernandes, Mariana Viollaz
Journal of Development Studies 56 (1): 169-185, 2020 | Working Paper Version

Labor Supply Responses to Health Shocks: Evidence from High-Frequency Labor Market Data from Urban Ghana
Rachel Heath, Ghazala Mansuri, Bob Rijkers
J. Human Resources, Online November 13, 2019 | Working Paper Version

BOOKS AND REPORTS

World Development Report 2020: Trading for Development in the Age of Global Value Chains

October 2019
This report examines whether there is still a path to development through GVCs and trade. It concludes that technological change is at this stage more a boon than a curse. GVCs can continue to boost growth, create better jobs, and reduce poverty provided that developing countries implement deeper reforms to promote GVC participation, industrial countries pursue open, predictable policies, and all countries revive multilateral cooperation.
Report | Website | Blogs
Global Trade Watch 2018: Trade Amid Tensions
May 2019
Global trade growth slowed in 2018 amid a weakening of economic growth in China and the Euro Area and rising trade protectionism. The volume of trade grew by 3.8 percent, down from 5.4 percent in 2017, but has shown signs of reviving in the first quarter of 2019.
Exports to Jobs: Boosting the Gains from Trade in South Asia
February 2019
South Asia’s economy has grown rapidly, and the region has made a significant reduction in poverty. However, jobs for the growing working population remain limited. Policy makers are contending with lingering concerns about jobless growth and poor job quality. This report argues that exports could bring higher wages and better jobs to South Asia.
Moving for Prosperity: Global Migration and Labor Markets
June 2018
Global labor mobility is a potent tool to end poverty, with migrants tripling their wages or more. Better labor market policies to manage short-run economic tensions can ensure that destination countries and migrants share the benefits of global labor mobility for generations to come.
Report | Presentation | Video | More research by Çağlar Özden