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

Joint UNCTAD-World Bank Workshops on Non-Tariff Measures
May 30, 2023, Washington, DC & June 23-26, 2023, Geneva
In 2018, UNCTAD and the World Bank launched the “Top-25 Traders non-tariff measures (NTMs database)” and preliminary descriptive and analytical results. Five years later, the database has been used in a growing body of policy-related research and reports. The May workshop showcased the latest rigorous and policy-relevant research and analysis of trade-related regulations and NTMs. Following this, the June event discussed how non-tariff measures are shaping the new trade policy landscape and explored their role in advancing non-trade objectives
June 23-26, 2023, Geneva Event | May 30, 2023, Washington Event
Beyond Trade: How deep trade agreements shape non-trade outcomes
eBook, June 2023
Trade agreements increasingly include disciplines aimed at achieving non-trade objectives: promoting FDI, technology transfers, workers’ movements, but also improving labor conditions, environmental quality and achieving other broader social goals. This eBook brings together a group of leading economists to investigate the economic rationale for including nontrade.
The Economics of Deep Trade Agreements (eBook, 2021) | More research by Ana Margarida Fernandes
World Development Report 2023: Migrants, Refugees, and Societies
Report, 2023
Against the backdrop of a series of recent crises and longer-term trends, the question is: how to manage cross-mobility in a manner that is beneficial to all? The World Development Report (WDR) is taking a fresh look at these issues. It aims to shift from a narrow focus on labor markets for migrants and legal protection for refugees to a more holistic perspective — one that recognizes the humanity of migrants and the complexity of the societies of origin and destination.
Main Messages | Download Full Report | Concept Note | WDR 2023 Learning Events
Unleashing Africa’s Trade in Services Through Progressive Liberalization
June 1, 2023, Washington, DC
Trade in services -- a key path for development – is growing fast. On June 1, 2023, we presented the results of regulatory surveys of services trade policies in Africa and held a discussion between the World Bank Trade and research teams with the WTO, the African Private Sector, AfCFTA Secretariat, African Union, African governments and foreign investors in Africa.
Globalisation at a cross-roads
May 11-12, 2023, Paris
Banque de France, CEPR, the World Bank and University of Surrey jointly organised a workshop to explore current developments in international trade and cross-border economic activity. The event took place at the Banque de France’s Paris Office over two half-days, 11-12 May 2023.
Trade in Flux, Development in Doubt? Meeting the Shifting Challenges to Trade-led Development
Policy Research Talk, April 2023
Historically, globalization has played a significant role in shaping the global economy and the nature of international trade through the interconnectedness and interdependence of countries. But rising protectionism, trade tensions, and geopolitical challenges are all casting a long shadow over the future sustainability and effectiveness of globalization. In this Policy Research Talk, World Bank Research Manager Daria Taglioni delved into the changes that could threaten trade-led development.
Event Information | Video | Presentation | More Research by Daria Taglioni
Trade and Global Value Chains in Times of Insecurity
April 28-29, 2023, Kuala Lumpur
The World Bank and the Asia School of Business organized a workshop to explore recent developments in international trade and cross-border economic activity.
US-China Trade War’s Global Impacts
February 24, 2022 - NBER Working Paper 29562
In response to the US-China trade war, countries on average decreased exports to China and increased exports to the US and rest of world, Pablo Fajgelbaum, Pinelopi K. Goldberg, Patrick J. Kennedy, Amit Khandelwal, and Daria Taglioni find Global trade in products targeted by tariffs increased.
World Bank Research presented at Competitiveness Research Network Talks
November 2, 2021
The Competitiveness Research Network (CompNet) is a research network originally founded by the European System of Central Banks in 2012 to foster the debate on competitiveness issues among policy institutions and researchers.
Long-term Labor Market Adjustment to Transitory Shocks: Worker Impact and Firm Channels (Presentation by Ana Margarida Fernandes (World Bank) and Joana Silva (World Bank) | Division of Unexpected Revenue Shocks (Paper by Paulo Bastos (World Bank), Natalia Monteiro (University of Minho), and Odd Rume Straume (University of Minho) | Recording
More Featured Research »

LATEST WORKING PAPERS

Firms in Global Value Chains during Covid-19: Evidence from Indonesia
Devaki Ghose, Angella Faith Montfaucon
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 10514, June 2023

The Economic Effects of Market Integration in the Western Balkans
María Del Mar Gómez, Román D. Zárate, Daria Taglioni
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 10491, June 2023

Adjusting to Transitory Shocks: Worker Impact, Firm Channels, and (Lack of) Income Support
Ana Margarida Fernandes, Joana Silva
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 10448, May 2023

The Eﬀects of Communal Violence on Women’s Marital Outcomes
Devaki Ghose, Divya Pandey
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 10441, May 2023

Labor Market Effects of Global Supply Chain Disruptions
Mauricio Ulate, Jose P. Vasquez, Roman D. Zarate
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 10434, May 2023

More Working Papers

LATEST JOURNAL ARTICLES

The Intensive Margin in Trade: How Big and How Important?
Ana M. Fernandes, Peter J. Klenow, Sergii Meleshchuk, Martha Denisse Pierola, Andrés Rodríguez-Clare
American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, vol. 15 (3), July 2023

Corruption in Customs
Cyril Chalendard, Ana M Fernandes, Gael Raballand, Bob Rijkers
The Quarterly Journal of Economics, vol. 138, February 2023 | Working Paper Version

Are trade preferences a Panacea? The export impact of the African growth and Opportunity Act
Ana M. Fernandes, Alejandro Forero, Hibret Maemir, Aaditya Mattoo
World Development, vol. 162, February 2023 | Working Paper Version

Long-run effects of trade liberalisation on local labour markets: Evidence from South Africa
Paulo Bastos, Nicolas Santos
The World Economy, vo. 45, October 2022 | Working Paper Version

Trade Fraud and Non-Tariff Measures
Hiau Looi Kee, Alessandro Nicita
Journal of International Economics, 103682, September 2022 | Working Paper Version

BOOKS AND REPORTS

Beyond Trade: How deep trade agreements shape non-trade outcomes
Vox eBook, June 2023
Trade agreements increasingly include disciplines aimed at achieving non-trade objectives: promoting FDI, technology transfers, workers’ movements, but also improving labor conditions, environmental quality and achieving other broader social goals. This eBook brings together a group of leading economists to investigate the economic rationale for including nontrade
More research by Ana Margarida Fernandes
Skilled Migration: A Sign of Europe's Divide or Integration?
July 2022
High-skilled migration, whether internal or international, is largely a symptom rather than a cause of the gaps in labor market and educational opportunities, productivity, welfare, and the quality of institutions across the regions. Free movement within the European Union is an incentive for workers and firms to take advantage of these gaps by moving from low- to high-productivity sectors and regions. This report examines the trends, determinants, and impacts of migration of high-skilled workers within the European Union in the past two decades.
Report | More research by Çağlar Özden
Robots and Trade: Implications for Developing Countries
2022
This chapter uses a Ricardian framework to examine the impact on developing countries of robotization in developed countries. The chapter highlights that robot adoption can ultimately benefit workers in developing countries, particularly through lower prices and increased demand for intermediate inputs.
Maximizing the Developmental Benefits of GVC Integration While Addressing Emerging Challenges

September 2021
How countries engage with GVCs determines how they benefit from them. For an effective and sustainable strategy of GVC participation, governments must identify binding constraints, and design policy and regulatory interventions. This chapter appears in The Routledge Companion to Global Value Chains: Reinterpreting and Reimagining Megatrends in the World Economy.
Blog Post | Making Global Value Chains Work for Development
The Economics of Deep Trade Agreements

June 2021
While multilateral trade negotiations have stagnated and tensions between major players have surged, bilateral and regional agreements seem to have run away with the trade agenda. Many of these agreements have extended their reach well beyond tariffs, covering policy areas such as environment, intellectual property rights, state-owned enterprises. They aim to achieve integration beyond trade, or “deep” integration. This e-book is the result of a World Bank research project on the economics of deep trade agreements. It covers the determinants and consequences of deep trade agreements and discusses how they may shape world trade in a post-COVID-19 world.
eBook | VoxEU Blog | Launch Event, July 29 2021 | Project Website
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
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