Essays on the role of bilateral agreements in services trade and migration
Guide(s)
Chanda, Rupa
Department
Economics
Area
Economics
University
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Place
Bangalore
Publication Date
3-31-2024
Year Awarded
March 2024
Year Completed
March 2024
Year Registered
June 2018
Abstract
Services trade has increased over the years and has been associated with higher economic growth, enhanced productivity, a rise in jobs, and increased manufacturing output and exports. Trade costs in services are higher than goods trade, as several 'behind-the-border' regulatory measures impede services trade. Thus, liberalization of services trade assumes importance. Previous studies have found trade agreements to be an effective mechanism in promoting goods trade. Therefore, this thesis examines the impact of bilateral agreements on services trade and additionally examines whether the depth and breadth of these agreements matter. The first essay of this thesis examines the effect of trade agreements on total bilateral services exports. In addition, we provide empirical evidence for the role of broader agreements with service provisions and explore other plausible mechanisms for the results. As services can be traded through four modes, the second essay is devoted to assessing the role of agreements on mode 4 services supplied by the movement of natural persons. This essay analyzes the effect of Bilateral Labour Agreements (BLAs) as well as labour provisions in preferential trade agreements (PTAs). To assess this impact, we create new measures to capture the depth and breadth of labour provisions in the agreements. The third essay focuses on mobility in a specific sector, namely, health which experiences a global shortage of health workers and has been historically characterized by considerable mobility of health workers across countries. The discussion highlights the need for agreements to manage mobility in the health sector and explores possible channels through which receiving countries can compensate source countries through various forms of reverse transfers.
Pagination
ix, 219p.
Copyright
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Document Type
Dissertation
DAC Chairperson
Chanda, Rupa
DAC Members
Das, Tirthatanmoy; Mukherji, Arnab
Type of Degree
Ph.D.
Recommended Citation
Datta, Banantika, "Essays on the role of bilateral agreements in services trade and migration" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations. 4.
https://research.iimb.ac.in/doc_dissertations/4
Relation
DIS-IIMB-FPM-P24-04
