Trade Linkages between the Belt and Road Economies

57 Pages Posted: 3 May 2018 Last revised: 11 May 2018

See all articles by Mauro Boffa

Mauro Boffa

European University Institute - Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (RSCAS)

Date Written: May 1, 2018

Abstract

This paper studies the production and trade linkages between a selected group of economies belonging to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). After defining a group of Belt and Road Economies, the paper uses three standard trade databases to analyze trade and production linkages among these economies. With the help of state of the art economic decompositions of input-output tables, coupled with standard international trade statistics, the analysis quantifies the amount of production sharing between the economies of the area. The main finding is that trade integration among Belt and Road Economies has largely increased: Intraregional exports went from 30.6 percent in 1995 to 43.3 percent in 2015. Since the increase in gross exports was driven mostly by intermediate goods, the study investigates the evolution of regional production networks across Belt and Road Economies.

Keywords: International Trade and Trade Rules, Transport Services, Trade Finance and Investment, Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing

Suggested Citation

Boffa, Mauro, Trade Linkages between the Belt and Road Economies (May 1, 2018). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 8423, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3172501

Mauro Boffa (Contact Author)

European University Institute - Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (RSCAS) ( email )

Villa La Fonte, via delle Fontanelle 18
50016 San Domenico di Fiesole
Florence, Florence 50014
Italy

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