Amjadi, Azita and Winters, L Alan (1999) Transport Costs and "Natural" Integration in Mercosur. Journal of Economic Integration, 14 (4). pp. 497-521. ISSN 1225-651X

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Abstract

The paper explores the argument that trade between the Mercosur countries should be stimulated by preferential policies because of their geographic proximity. That is, that the Mercosur countries are candidates for "natural" integration. The paper finds that, on average, transportation margins on trade within Mercosur and between Mercosur and Chile are about 6 percentage points lower than on trade with the rest of the world. That is a significant margin, and one that was reflected in the countries' trade patterns even before regional trade agreements reduced the policy-based barriers to mutual trade. But it is probably not large enough, in and of itself (without other benefits), to make the introduction of trade preferences desirable. The paper also explores the argument that absolutely high transportation costs between Mercosur and the rest of the world (that is, not relative to intra-Mercosur costs) justify regional trade preferences. For this to apply the introduction of trade preferences must cause the Mercosur countries to cease importing some goods from the rest of the world completely. While Mercosur- - - rest-of-the-world transport costs certainly are high, trade patterns suggest that very few goods will cease to be imported from the rest of the world.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Unavailable from Journal Homepage although PDF is accessible from World Bank eLibrary from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-1742
Schools and Departments:	University of Sussex Business School > Economics
Depositing User:	L.Alan Winters
Date Deposited:	06 Feb 2012 19:20
Last Modified:	02 May 2012 15:06
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/20168

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