The objective of this dissertation is to examine the effect of recent trade policy changes on trade and economic growth for southern Africa. This is accomplished by using a dynamic panel data modeling approach to examine the effect of openness on economic growth during the 1990s. The gravity model and Tobit maximum likelihood estimation are used to examine the effect of trade policy changes and two types of spatial separation on the likelihood of trade. The two types of spatial separation are distance and preferential trading arrangements. This study uses sophisticated econometric techniques and a more complete sample of countries than previous studies on southern Africa. / The results show that distance impedes the likelihood of trade. Trade policy changes and the preferential trading arrangements, SADC and COMESA, enhanced trade in southern Africa during the 1990s. The trade stimulating effect was larger for SADC membership. However, some members benefited much more from the existence of preferential relations than other members. The study results indicate that openness affects economic growth.

No description available.

Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Recently countries have become more aware of the potential anti-competitive effects of anti-dumping measures. This is mostly due to the view that anti-dumping measures, as trade policy instruments, are at odds with the objectives of competition policy. According to many economic writers the only rational economic justification for anti-dumping measures is predatory dumping as an extreme form of price discrimination. Apart from the dramatic change in the economic justification for the use of anti-dumping measures over the last decades, there has also been a significant change in the countries that implement these measures. Since the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations there has been a shift from developed countries to developing countries being the main users of these policy tools. In the last couple of years the member countries of the Southern African Customs Union have been under increased pressure by private firms to enable the use of anti-dumping measures on intra-regional goods trade. However, the appropriateness of utilising these measures on intra-regional trade in the context of a custom union has been a contentious issue in recent economic debate. These measures erect trade barriers among the member states which are against the basic premise of a customs union. This has resulted in most economists calling for the prohibition and replacement of anti-dumping measure with either coordinated domestic or harmonised regional competition policies. In developing the regional and national policies on anti-dumping the SACU member states can follow two main stream approaches. The first is the incorporation of various competition principles into anti-dumping rules to limit the negative welfare and anti-competitive effects of utilising anti-dumping measures, while the second is the abolition of anti-dumping measures in the region which is then replaced by competition policy. The option best suited for SACU depends on the differing viewpoints on implementing anti-dumping measures in a customs union. However, irrespective of which policy combination is chosen, regional and national polices and authorities will have to be created, adapted and/or amended in order to have an effective interaction between anti-dumping and competition policies applicable to intra-regional trade. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Lande het ontlangs meer bewus geword van die moontlike negatiewe uitwerking wat maatreëls teen storting van goedere in markte kan hê op plaaslike en internasionale mededinging. Dit is hoofsaaklik as gevolg van die siening dat teen-stortingsmaatreëls, as instrumente van handelsbeleid, se doelwitte teenstrydig is met die van mededingingsbeleid. Volgens vele ekonomiese skrywers is die enigste rasionele ekonomiese regverdiging vir teen-stortingsmaatreëls predatoriese storting as ‘n uiterse vorm van prysdiskriminasie. Afgesien van die dramatiese verandering in die ekonomiese regverdiging vir die gebruik van teen-storingsmaatreëls oor die laaste dekades, het daar ook ‘n beduidende verandering plaasgevind in die lande wat hierdie maatreëls om goedere handel implementeer. Sedert die Uruguay Rondte van Multi-laterale Handelsooreenkomste het daar ‘n verskuiwing plaasgevind van ontwikkelde lande na ontwikkellende lande as die belangrikste gebruikers van hierdie beleidsinstrumente. In die laaste paar jaar het private firmas die lidlande van die Suider-Afrikaanse Doeane-Unie onder toenemede druk begin plaas vir die gebruik van teen-storingsmaatreëls op invoere vanaf die res van die streek. Alhoewel, huidiglik is die toepaslikehid van die gebruik van hierdie maatreëls op handel, in die konteks van ‘n doeane-unie, steeds ‘n omstrede kwessie binne ekonomiese dabatte. Hierdie maatreëls rig handelsversperrings tussen lidlande op wat teen die basiese veronderstelling van ‘n doeane-unie is. As gevolg hiervan is die meeste ekonome van die opinie dat teen-storingsmaatreëls vervang moet word met óf gekoördineerde binnelandse of geharmoniseerde streeks- mededingingsbeleid. Die SADU-lidlande kan twee benaderings volg in die ontwikkeling van streeks- en nasionale beleid oor teen-storingsmaatreëls. Die eerste is the insluiting van verskillende mededingingsbeginsels in bepalings wat handel oor teen-storingsmaatreëls om sodoende die moontlike negatiewe gevolge van hierdie maatreëls te beperk. Die tweede opsie is om teen-storingsmaatreëls op streeks-invoere met bededingingsbeleid te vervang. Die mees gepasde opsie sal af hang van die verskillende standpunte rondom die toepaslikheid van teen-stortingsmaatreëls in ‘n doeane-unie. Alhoewel, ongeag die beleidskombinasie wat gekies word sal nasionale en streeks-beleid en owerhede geskep, aangepas en/of gewysig moet word ten einde ‘n effektiewe interaksie tussen teen-storingsmaatreëls en mededingingsbeleid binne SADU te verseker.