Compared to business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce, business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce is larger, growing faster and has less unequal geographical distribution globally. In this paper, we examine the current stage of B2B e-commerce development across four global regions and propose a model to explain the magnitude and global distribution of B2B e-commerce activities. Our analysis indicates th...

Using estimates of protection in the EU market against US exports, this paper illustrates the relative importance of natural and policy sources of protection and the measurement errors induced in the measurement of effective protection by omitting transactions costs. It also considers protection in the EU 'domestic' and export market, and the implications of the elimination of tariff barriers o...

The extensive reform measures introduced in the early 90s in India provide a unique opportunity to study policy experiments aimed at reducing barriers to entry and increasing product market competition. We use a rich, comprehensive, plant-level dataset for the period 1986-87 to 1994-95 to identify the effects of de-licensing, liberalization of foreign direct investment (FDI) and the reduction o...

This paper empirically assesses United States direct investment in the European Union. In that respect, market size, growth rate, labor costs, export flows and tariff barriers have already been shown to influence U.S. foreign direct investment in the European Union. The present paper enlarges the field of knowledge on the matter by: (i) exploring the impact of two locational determinants of for...

Increasing international trade in poultry meat presents an opportunity for the global dissemination of poultry disease. However, it would be very unfortunate if expanding world trade resulted in animal diseases being used as unjustified non-tariff trade barriers. For those avian diseases currently listed by the World Organisation for Animal Health, the current evidence suggests that only highly...

OBJECTIVES A fifth of UK households live in fuel poverty, with significant health risks. Recent government strategy integrates public health with local government. This study examined barriers to switching energy tariffs and the impact of an energy tariff switching 'intervention' on vulnerable peoples' likelihood to, success in, switching tariffs. STUDY DESIGN Participatory Action Research (P...

In a supply-constrained region like Asia, promoting exports has always been a challenge particularly at a time when Asia’s trade has been severely affected by lack of external demand. This study argues that price barriers have now taken a new shape which may likely to generate differential impacts on trade flows. The size and shape of price barriers would be higher if NTBs, applied by the count...