Trade in Services and Regional Trade Agreements: Do Negotiations on Services Have to be Specific?

摘要

In conclusion, I have shown that signing a trade agreement including services has a positive and significant impact on trade in services using first-differenced panel with country-and-time fixed effects and panel with country-and-time and bilateral fixed effects. To belong to the same S-RTA increases trade between signatories by 18 to 32 per cent depending on the method. The results are not driven by European Union. I examine separately the impact of the European Union, and I find that European Treaty, but also all other S-RTAs have a significant impact on trade in services.