An Evaluation of Border Management Reforms in a Technical Agency

57 Pages Posted: 5 Oct 2017

See all articles by Ana M. Fernandes

Ana M. Fernandes

World Bank - International Trade Division; World Bank

Russell Henry Hillberry

Purdue University

Alejandra Mendoza Alcantara

World Bank - Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice

Date Written: October 2, 2017

Abstract

Impact evaluations of trade facilitation reforms have almost exclusively focused on reforms by data-rich customs agencies. Other "technical" agencies also intervene in the logistics of international trade, and do so in ways that can cause significant interruptions in the flow of the imported products they oversee. This paper is the first to evaluate a reform by a technical agency, namely, the agency responsible for food safety and animal health in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The data environment is much more challenging than in customs, but enables the investigation of novel questions. The study finds that on-the-ground practices regarding sampling of import shipments departed substantially from those planned in the reform. It finds little evidence that the reform was successful in its attempt to improve the targeting of risky shipments. There is limited evidence that the reform increased trade flows, but circumstances make it difficult to establish a strong causal link to the specific reform studied.

Keywords: International Trade and Trade Rules

Suggested Citation

Fernandes, Ana Margarida and Hillberry, Russell Henry and Mendoza Alcantara, Alejandra, An Evaluation of Border Management Reforms in a Technical Agency (October 2, 2017). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 8208, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3046932

Ana Margarida Fernandes (Contact Author)

World Bank - International Trade Division

1818 H Street, N.W.
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United States

World Bank ( email )

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HOME PAGE: http://econ.worldbank.org/staff/afernandes

Russell Henry Hillberry

Purdue University ( email )

610 Purdue Mall
West Lafayette, IN 47907
United States

Alejandra Mendoza Alcantara

World Bank - Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice ( email )

Washington, DC
United States

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