This study analyses the role that services trade liberalisation could play in fostering tourism g... more This study analyses the role that services trade liberalisation could play in fostering tourism growth in developing countries. The economic and social importance of tourism means that the industry is high on the list of development priorities in many developing countries and LDCs. In order to have a successful tourism export industry, effective linkages need to be established with many different sectors, most of which are other services. Trade and investment liberalisation at the national, regional and multilateral levels can be a means to complement national efforts to attain these goals. Sustainable tourism development, though, requires strong public sector management and support. Due consideration needs to be given to develop effective regulation, including competition policy and institutions, to avoid exceeding the carrying capacity of assets, and to strengthen national capacity in order to minimise financial leakages.
This study aims at exploring how recent developments in the retail sector affect trade in consume... more This study aims at exploring how recent developments in the retail sector affect trade in consumer goods. It focuses on three areas of development: i) internationalisation; ii) market structure; and iii) the growing market share of retailers' private labels. It distinguishes between food and non-food products as there are significant differences between the sourcing patterns of these two product categories. The gravity model is extended by integrating a retail intermediary sector, and a novel estimation technique (zero inflated Poisson) is proposed. It is found that the foreign operations of a retailer are positively related to imports from the host to the home country of the retailer. The rate of market concentration and the market share of private labels are both found to be negatively related to imports of food and positively related to imports of non-food consumer goods, but private labels tend to shift sourcing towards low-income countries. Lower tariffs yield a stronger import response in countries with a less concentrated retail sector, particularly for food items suggesting that competition policy and trade policy are complementary. In developing countries the entry of international retailers can have a positive impact on exports and product quality.
This paper analyses the relation between time for exports and imports, logistics services and int... more This paper analyses the relation between time for exports and imports, logistics services and international trade. Time is found not only to reduce trade volumes, but more importantly lengthy procedures for exports and imports reduce the probability that firms will enter export markets for timesensitive products at all. Furthermore, a broader range of products are becoming time-sensitive following the proliferation of modern supply chain management in manufacturing as well as retailing. Labourintensive products such as clothing and consumer electronics are increasingly time-sensitive and many developing countries urgently need to shorten lead time in order to stay competitive in these sectors. The report argues that reforms to this effect can be implemented at relatively low cost also in low-income countries. The study provides case studies as well as econometric estimates of the relation between time, logistics services and trade performance and draws policy implications.
This study analyses the role that services trade liberalisation could play in fostering tourism g... more This study analyses the role that services trade liberalisation could play in fostering tourism growth in developing countries. The economic and social importance of tourism means that the industry is high on the list of development priorities in many developing countries and LDCs. In order to have a successful tourism export industry, effective linkages need to be established with many different sectors, most of which are other services. Trade and investment liberalisation at the national, regional and multilateral levels can be a means to complement national efforts to attain these goals. Sustainable tourism development, though, requires strong public sector management and support. Due consideration needs to be given to develop effective regulation, including competition policy and institutions, to avoid exceeding the carrying capacity of assets, and to strengthen national capacity in order to minimise financial leakages.
This study aims at exploring how recent developments in the retail sector affect trade in consume... more This study aims at exploring how recent developments in the retail sector affect trade in consumer goods. It focuses on three areas of development: i) internationalisation; ii) market structure; and iii) the growing market share of retailers' private labels. It distinguishes between food and non-food products as there are significant differences between the sourcing patterns of these two product categories. The gravity model is extended by integrating a retail intermediary sector, and a novel estimation technique (zero inflated Poisson) is proposed. It is found that the foreign operations of a retailer are positively related to imports from the host to the home country of the retailer. The rate of market concentration and the market share of private labels are both found to be negatively related to imports of food and positively related to imports of non-food consumer goods, but private labels tend to shift sourcing towards low-income countries. Lower tariffs yield a stronger import response in countries with a less concentrated retail sector, particularly for food items suggesting that competition policy and trade policy are complementary. In developing countries the entry of international retailers can have a positive impact on exports and product quality.
This paper analyses the relation between time for exports and imports, logistics services and int... more This paper analyses the relation between time for exports and imports, logistics services and international trade. Time is found not only to reduce trade volumes, but more importantly lengthy procedures for exports and imports reduce the probability that firms will enter export markets for timesensitive products at all. Furthermore, a broader range of products are becoming time-sensitive following the proliferation of modern supply chain management in manufacturing as well as retailing. Labourintensive products such as clothing and consumer electronics are increasingly time-sensitive and many developing countries urgently need to shorten lead time in order to stay competitive in these sectors. The report argues that reforms to this effect can be implemented at relatively low cost also in low-income countries. The study provides case studies as well as econometric estimates of the relation between time, logistics services and trade performance and draws policy implications.
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Papers by Enrico Pinali