In the section Articles
Title of the article Interaction of the Russian Far East with the Countries of the Pacific Rim: Evaluating Institutional and Tariff Trade Barriers
Pages 20-45
Author 1 Dmitriy Aleksandrovich Izotov
Candidate of Sciences (Economics), Leading Research Fellow
Economic Research Institute FEB RAS
153 Tikhookeanskaya St., Khabarovsk, Russia, 680042
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ORCID: 0000-0001-9199-6226
Author 2 Kiril I. Tochkov
PhD in Economics, Professor
Department of Economics, Texas Christian University
TCU Box 298510, Fort Worth, TX 76129
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ORCID: 0000-0001-8356-1310
Abstract Because of its significant remoteness from the main markets of Russia, the Far East region is closely tied to the markets of the Pacific Rim countries. Expanding trade and economic interactions with them has a positive influence on the development of the Far Eastern economy. Reducing trade barriers with the Pacific Rim countries could increase the value of bilateral trade, becoming a source of growth and development for the economy of the Far East region. To determine the scope of the trade increase, we evaluate the potential of bilateral trade interactions occurring as a result of lowering various barriers. The findings indicate that the Far East region has gradually deepened its trade interactions with neighboring Pacific Rim countries. Based on the gravity model, we evaluate and decompose trade barriers in ad valorem equivalent for trade interactions between the Pacific Rim countries and the Far East region. The main source of tariff barriers between the Far East and the countries of the Pacific Rim were the export and import customs duties imposed on the Russian side. The decomposition shows that the comparative institutional barriers between the Far East and Pacific Rim countries were significantly above the tariff barriers. This suggests that the lowering of tariff barriers was not sufficient for the purpose of intensifying bilateral trade. Our analysis implies that trade limitations initiated by the Russian side have caused a shift from tariff barriers to institutional ones. The trade between the Far East region on the one hand and China and the Republic of Korea on the other hand has intensified. The findings suggest that the relative institutional barriers with China will continue decreasing. Reducing the institutional barriers between the Far East and Japan could significantly increase trade interactions between the region and the Pacific Rim market
Code 339+332
JEL F13, O21, R11
DOI 10.14530/se.2019.3.020-045
Keywords foreign trade turnover ♦ trade interactions ♦ trade barriers ♦ ad valorem equivalent ♦ institutional barriers ♦ tariff barriers ♦ tariff burden ♦ transport expenses ♦ gravity model ♦ regional economy ♦ Pacific Rim ♦ the Big Three of the Northeast Asia ♦ USA ♦ Southeast Asia ♦ Russian Far East
Download SE.2019.3.020-045.Izotov.pdf
For citation Izotov D.A., Tochkov K.I. Interaction of the Russian Far East with the Countries of the Pacific Rim: Evaluating Institutional and Tariff Trade Barriers. Prostranstvennaya Ekonomika = Spatial Economics, 2019, vol. 15. no. 3, pp. 20–45. DOI: 10.14530/se.2019.3.020-045. (In Russian).
References 1. Anderson J.A. A Theoretical Foundation for the Gravity Equation. American Economic Review, 1979, vol. 69, issue 1, pp. 106–116.
2. Anderson J.E., van Wincoop E. Gravity with Gravitas: A Solution to the Border Puzzle. American Economic Review, 2003, vol. 93, no. 1, pp. 171–192. DOI: 10.1257/000282803321455214
3. Arkolakis C., Costinot A., Rodriguez-Clare A. New Trade Models, Same Old Gains? American Economic Review, 2012, vol. 102, no. 1, pp. 94–130. DOI:10.1257/aer.102.1.94.
4. Baier S.L., Bergstrand J.H. Bonus Vetus OLS: A Simple Method for Approximating International Trade-Cost Effects Using the Gravity Equation. Journal of International Economics, 2009, vol. 77, no. 1, pp. 77–85. DOI: 10.1016/j.jinteco.2008.10.004
5. Baldwin R.E., Taglioni D. Gravity for Dummies and Dummies for Gravity Equations. NBER Working Paper No. 12516, 2006, September. Available at: https://www.nber.org/papers/w12516.pdf (accessed June 2019).
6. De Benedictis L., Vicarelli C. Trade Potentials in Gravity Panel Data Models. The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 2005, vol. 5, issue 1, pp. 1935–1682. DOI: 10.1515/1538-0653.1386
7. Estimating the Economic Effects of Reducing Non-Tariff Barriers in the EEU. EDB Centre for Integration Studies. Saint-Petersburg, 2015, 72 p. Available at: http://www.eurasiancommission.org/ru/act/integr_i_makroec/dep_makroec_pol/developDocs/Documents/EAEU_estims.pdf (accessed June 2019). (In Russian).
8. Guilhoto J., Siroen J.-M., Yucer A. The Gravity Model, Global Value Chain and the Brazilian States. IRD. Working Papers DT/2015/02. Available at: http://en.ird.fr/content/view/full/196848 (accessed June 2019).
9. Head K., Ries J. Increasing Returns Versus National Product Differentiation as an Explanation for the Pattern of U.S.-Canada Trade. American Economic Review, 2001, vol. 91, no. 4, pp. 858–876. DOI: 10.1257/aer.91.4.858
10. Hummels D.L., Lugovskyy V., Skiba A. The Trade Reducing Effects of Market Power in International Shipping. Journal of Development Economics, 2009, vol. 89, issue 1, pp. 84–97. DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2008.05.001
11. Hummels D.L., Schaur G. Time as a Trade Barrier. American Economic Review, 2013, vol. 103, no. 7, pp. 2935–2959. DOI: 10.1257/aer.103.7.2935
12. Izotov D. Russia and the Pacific Rim: Prospects for Trade Liberalization. Russian Politics and Law, 2017, vol. 55, issue 6, pp. 457–479. DOI: 10.1080/10611940.2017.1574502
13. Izotov D.A. Liberalization of Russia’s Trade with the European Union, BRICS, and Trans-Pacific Partnership Countries. Studies on Russian Economic Development, 2017, vol. 28, issue 3, pp. 338–345.
14. Izotov D.A., Tochkov K.I. Comparative Assessment of the Internal and External Trading Interactions of the Far East of Russia. Regionalistica [Regionalistics], 2018, vol. 5, no. 6, pp. 37–52. DOI: 10.14530/reg.2018.6.37. (In Russian).
15. Kaukin A., Idrisov G. The Gravity Model of Russia’s International Trade: The Case of a Large Country with a Long Border. Ekonomicheskaya Politika = Economic Policy, 2013, no. 4, pp. 133–154. (In Russian).
16. Kee H.L., Nicita A., Olarreaga M. Estimating Trade Restrictiveness Indices. The Economic Journal, 2009, vol. 119, pp. 172–199. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0297.2008.02209.x
17. Kepaptsoglou K., Karlaftis M.G., Tsamboulas D. The Gravity Model Specification for Modeling International Trade Flows and Free Trade Agreement Effects: A 10-Year Review of Empirical Studies. The Open Economics Journal, 2010, vol. 3, pp. 1–13. DOI: 10.2174/1874919401003010001
18. Leamer E.E., Levinsohn J. Chapter 26 International Trade Theory: The Evidence. Handbook of International Economics, 1995, vol. 3, pp. 1339–1394. DOI: 10.1016/S1573-4404(05)80006-1
19. Lipin A.S., Polyakova O.V. Integration Processes Assessment at the Single Economic Space by the Example of Trade. Evraziyskaya Ekonomicheskaya Integratsiya [Eurasian Economic Integration], 2014, no. 1 (22), pp. 80–96. (In Russian).
20. McCallum J. National Borders Matter: Canada-U.S. Regional Trade Patterns. American Economic Review, 1995, vol. 85, issue 3, pp. 615–623.
21. Miroudot S., Pinali E., Sauter N. The Impact of Pro-Competitive Reforms on Trade in Developing Countries. OECD Trade Policy Working Papers No. 54. DOI: 10.1787/147131508107
22. Olivero M.P., Yotov Y.V. Dynamic Gravity: Endogenous Country Size and Asset Accumulation. Canadian Journal of Economics, 2012, vol. 45, pp. 64–92. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-5982.2011.01687.x
23. Parsley D.C., Wei S. Explaining the Border Effect: The Role of Exchange Rate Variability, Shipping Costs, and Geography. Journal of International Economics, 2001, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 87–105. DOI: 10.1016/S0022-1996(01)00096-4
24. Tochkov K. Gravity, Borders, and the Potential for Economic Integration in the Asia Pacific: Evidence from Korea and Russia. 2015 KIEP Visiting Fellows Program. Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, 2016, pp. 84–111.
25. Yotov Y.V., Piermartini R., Monteiro J.-A., Larch M. An Advanced Guide to Trade Policy Analysis: The Structural Gravity Model. United Nation; World Trade Organization, 2016, 137 p. DOI: 10.30875/abc0167e-en

ISSN (Print) 1815-9834
ISSN (Online) 2587-5957

Minakir Pavel Aleksandrovich,
Editor-in-Chief
Tel.: +7 (4212) 725-225,
Fax: +7 (4212) 225-916,
 
Samokhina Lyudmila, Executive Editor
Tel.: +7 (4212) 226-053
Fax: +7 (4212) 225-916,
 
Editors
Tel.: +7 (4212) 226-053,
Fax: +7 (4212) 225-916,
 
To Editorial Staff of “Spatial Economics”
Economic Research Institute FEB RAS
153 Tikhookeanskaya St., Khabarovsk, RUSSIA, 680042

 

 

Creative Commons License
Unless otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License