Are trade blocs stumbling blocks or building blocks? This chapter reviews many political economy arguments. First come those that suggest that regionalism undermines support for more generalized liberalization. Then we consider arguments that say that regional initiatives help build political momentum for global liberalization. Arguments as to how the adoption of a regional trading area might p...

In 2010, Norway is still one of the richest countries in the world, with a GDP per capita corresponding to 56,140$ and an open economy able to move a large quantity of goods. After the Schengen agreement, the trade exchange between Norway and the rest of the European countries has largely increased. In this panorama, the Norwegian alcoholic market behaves under particular conditions. As it is w...

Altered gravity environments, such as those experienced by astronauts, impact spatial orientation perception, and can lead to spatial disorientation and sensorimotor impairment. To more fully understand and quantify the impact of altered gravity on orientation perception, several mathematical models have been proposed. The utricular shear, tangent, and the idiotropic vector models aim to predic...

Regional Trade Agreements such as ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) are expected to increase the trade flows among member countries through trade creation and trade diversion. This paper employs the gravity model using manufacturing trade data to analyse this hypothesised effect in a time-varying context. The estimation results suggest that AFTA has expanded the trade substantially. The trade creati...