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Regional trade liberalisation: a theoretical review of dynamic time‐path and stability issues
Author(s) -
Wei Zhang
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
asian‐pacific economic literature
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.232
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1467-8411
pISSN - 0818-9935
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8411.2011.01282.x
Subject(s) - negotiation , liberalization , international trade , regional trade , variety (cybernetics) , international economics , block (permutation group theory) , free trade , economics , business , political science , computer science , market economy , law , geometry , mathematics , artificial intelligence
In recent years, the use of regional trade liberalisation arrangements (RTAs) has proliferated, while multilateral negotiations under the WTO have proceeded slowly, resulting in a debate over the roles of regional and multilateral liberalisation. This paper reviews the key theoretical contributions in the debate over RTAs, especially the recently developed themes addressing dynamic time‐path and stability issues. However, due to the variety of motivations for RTA member countries to expand trading blocs and for non‐members to seek entry, research has found few general conditions under which the formation of RTAs can become the ‘stepping stone’ or ‘stumbling block’ towards global free trade.