In this context, this note summarizes the findings of a recent World Bank, SACU Secretariat assessment of regional trade facilitation based on the Trade and Transport Facilitation Assessment (TTFA) methodology. The assessment looks at regional trade facilitation through the lens of value chains, with the objective to understand how the region’s trade and transport environment could be improved to facilitate more extensive and deeply integrated regional trade, linked to competitive participation in global value chains. The remainder of this note is structured as follows: section two provides a brief overview of regional trade and freight flows. This is followed in section three by a brief review of the trade and transport environment (including infrastructure and policy) across each SACU member state. Section four summarizes the findings of the detailed analysis, from a trade facilitation perspective, of the regional value chains in four key industry sectors: agro-processing; agro-processing; automotive; beef; and textiles/apparel. Section five then focuses on identifying potential solutions to three key trade and transport facilitation challenges identified through the value chain assessments. Finally, section six concludes.
Abstract
In this context, this note summarizes the findings of a recent World Bank, SACU Secretariat assessment of regional trade facilitation based on the Trade and Transport Facilitation Assessment (TTFA) methodology. The assessment looks at [...]
This paper studies the prerequisites for the emergence of a firm’s market power using basic models of oligopoly. The significance of the study is related to identifying theoretical prerequisites that are essential for modifying the collective dominance institution, which can be considered a legal analogue of the economic concept of oligopoly. The objective of the paper is to identify the elements associated with the emergence of market power under the oligopoly model, allowing to shape theoretical basis for the collective dominance concept application. Multiple objectives have to be met before the said objective can be achieved: 1) highlighting the relevant signs of interaction between oligopolistic firms; 2) identifying limitations for the application of collective dominance concept in practice. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the formation of theoretical basis for the legal concept of collective dominance in Russia. The subject of the paper is the relationship between the concept of collective dominance in Russia and the basic oligopoly models. The study is part of a complex project which represents a RANEPA state research assignment and aims at exploring the effects of the collective dominance concept application in Russia. The study is based on industrial organization methods. The main findings of the study consist of the following: highlighting the aspects associated with market power emergence in oligopoly models (small number of participants, high entry costs, significant goods differentiation, high switching costs, full information for competitors and low availability of information for consumers); reflecting the prerequisites for the market power emergence under oligopoly in the Russian version of the collective dominance concept; stating the importance of a comprehensive application of the prerequisites under consideration through the analysis of oligopoly models. The conclusions of the research will used to design the roadmap for further reforms of the Russian collective dominance concept
Abstract
This paper studies the prerequisites for the emergence of a firm’s market power using basic models of oligopoly. The significance of the study is related to identifying theoretical [...]
Trade Facilitation for Global and Regional Value Chains in SACU 