Multi-membership and effectiveness of regional trade agreements in Western and Southern Africa: a comparative study of ECOWAS and SADC

Konferenzbeitrag

Using a gravity model for 35 countries and the years 1995-2006 we estimate the impact of regional trade agreements in Africa (in particular ECOWAS and SADC) and compare this to the a benchmark of North South trade integration (Europe's preferential trade agreement). We find that - ECOWAS and SADC membership significantly increases bilateral trade flows (and by more than for example preferential trade agreements with the EU do), - SADC membership has a stronger impact compared to ECOWAS and - that the impact of multi-membership critically depends on the characteristics of the overlapping RTA We find a positive impact if an additional membership complements the integration process of the original RTA: overlapping memberships had a significant positive effect on bilateral trade within the ECOWAS bloc but it is insignificant for SADC.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Berlin 2011 ; No. 1

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft
• Subject: Sub Sahara Africa ; regional economic integration ; South-South trade ; North-South trade intra-regional trade ; gravity model ; international trade ; multi-membership

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Afesorgbor, Sylvanus Kwaku ; van Bergeijk, Peter A.G.
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft
• (where): Kiel und Hamburg
• (when): 2011

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/48295
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET