Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can substantially contribute to a country’s long-term export growth and diversification. And trade promotion organizations can play an important role in the process. We have found this after analyzing the export performance of developing countries by using transaction-level data of all Peruvian exports between … [Read more...] about The Role of Small and Medium-Size Firms in Countries’ Export Growth
Christian Volpe Martincus
Christian Volpe Martincus is Principal Economist at the Integration and Trade Sector of the Inter-American Development Bank. Christian has expertise in international trade, foreign direct investment, regional integration, and economic geography, and has advised several governments in both Latin America and the Caribbean and OECD countries on these matters. He previously worked for the Ministry of the Economy of the Province of Buenos Aires and was advisor at the MERCOSUR Commission of the National Representatives Chamber in Argentina. In addition, he was researcher at the Center for European Integration Studies in Bonn, Germany. At the IDB Christian has been working on the impacts of trade and investment facilitation and promotion policies, e-commerce, the effects of transport costs on trade flows, the implications of integration for specialization patterns, and the interplay between innovation and exports (https://www.christianvolpe.com/). His research has been published in various professional journals such as the Journal of International Economics and the Journal of Development Economics among others. Christian has a PhD in Economics from the University of Bonn, and is CESifo Research Fellow and Associate Editor of the Review of International Economics.
What Happened to Cross-Border E-Commerce Under the Pandemic?
There is a strong consensus that cross-border e-commerce has been growing at a fast pace. Available data suggests that the pandemic could have even accelerated this trend. For instance, according to its most recent financial report, Amazon’s international net sales increased by 28.3% between the first semester of 2020 and the same period of 2019. However, this evidence is, … [Read more...] about What Happened to Cross-Border E-Commerce Under the Pandemic?
Trade in the Time of Pandemic: How COVID-19 has impacted firms in 6 Latin American countries
The pandemic is predicted to have a significant negative impact on international trade. According to WTO projections, Latin America and the Caribbean’s exports and imports are expected to experience a pronounced decrease this year, reaching at least 13% and 22% respectively --in line with the estimates for the world. Available aggregate data confirm that the region’s trade … [Read more...] about Trade in the Time of Pandemic: How COVID-19 has impacted firms in 6 Latin American countries
How to create effective investment promotion agencies?
The international game of hopscotch Policymakers worldwide try to boost economic growth and investment, including by attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). For this purpose, they revise investment laws, reduce administrative burdens, propose new investment incentives schemes, and create and reinvent the agencies charged with promoting and facilitating investment – … [Read more...] about How to create effective investment promotion agencies?
Why Orderly Relations with Neighboring Countries Are Important for Trade
To learn more about this issue, see chapter 6 of Out Of the Border Labyrinth, a report published by the IDB’s Integration and Trade Sector, and IDB Working Paper series no. IDB-WP-704, “Transit Trade.” International transit systems International trade between neighboring countries is dominated by overland transportation, whereby goods are frequently shipped through … [Read more...] about Why Orderly Relations with Neighboring Countries Are Important for Trade