The Effects of Transit Systems on International Trade

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Carballo, Jeronimo; Graziano, Alejandro G.; Schaur, Georg; Martincus, Christian Volpe
• 署名单位: University of Colorado System; University of Colorado Boulder; University of Nottingham; University of Tennessee System; University of Tennessee Knoxville; Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut; Inter-American Development Bank
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6535
• DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_01189
• 发表日期: 2024-07
• 页码: 1083-1098
• 关键词: tax evasion; BORDERS; COSTS; geography

摘要

In this paper, we estimate the trade effects of a transit system upgrading that streamlines border processing in developing countries. Our empirical approach combines transaction-level export data from El Salvador with unique data that distinguishes export flows that were processed on the transit system. Our results indicate that the new transit system lowered regulatory border costs and raised exports. At the low end, our back-of-the-envelope estimate of the return to investment is US$ 3-to-1. This evidence informs a policy covered by the 2013 WTO Agreement of Trade Facilitation.