This thesis tackles issues related to regional integration, trade costs and aid, with empirical work related to the East African Community (EAC). The common thread is the impact of various types of trade costs on the structure and functioning of the economies of EAC member states. The first chapter introduces the literature and chapters 2, 3 and 4 constitute the core of the thesis. Chapter 2 develops a three-good, two-country duality-based general equilibrium model to investigate the effects of different types of aid and preferential trade on welfare and relative prices. The model is innovative in two ways: (i) a regionally tradable good is introduced, the price of which is determined endogenously, (ii) a regional infrastructure good, bought with aid monies, is brought in which lowers trade costs within the region. Using comparative statics, the properties of the model are explored in terms of the effects of tariff and aid shocks on welfare and relative prices. Chapter 3 develops a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model calibrated on Uganda and Kenya to gauge the importance of chapter 2’s results. The regional spill-over is now modeled as regional public capital serving as an input in both countries’ production functions. The simulations show how Kenya effectively exports some of the standard aid-induced real exchange rate appreciation to Uganda through a regional trade channel. Distributionally, Kenya’s urban and Uganda’s rural households win—which corresponds to regional comparative advantage patterns. Abolishing the intra-regional tariff increases welfare in Uganda and reduces it in Kenya, showing the ambiguous welfare results of Customs Unions known since Viner. Chapter 4 gauges the importance of border effects in Eastern Africa by testing the law-ofone- price (LOP) hypothesis on a consumer price data-set covering 24 goods in 39 cities in 4 countries. Using level regressions a significant border effect is found, whilst distance also plays a big role, both between and within countries. Neither the nominal exchange rate, nor non-tariff barriers (NTBs) reduce the border effect very much, even though both variables are significant. Looking at specific goods, markets for staple foods are the most integrated. As for the impact of the Customs Union between Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya (since 2005), there is a positive integration effect for the Kenya-Uganda border. Finally, Kenya’s political crisis at the end of 2007 can be linked to higher departures from the LOP throughout the region and can thus be said to have had clear knock-on effects for the landlocked EAC countries that depend on it as a transit country.

This study investigates the effect of the value of financial flexibility on bidder’s merger and acquisition (M&A) performance, including the differences between domestic and cross-border M&As and the effect of the financial crisis. Using data gathered between 2005-2012 of 3,882 M&As with the bidder from developed Europe or the U.S., OLS regressions are used to predict the effect of value of financial flexibility on the bidder’s cumulative abnormal returns (CARs). Findings reveal partial evidence to support a positive effect of the value of financial flexibility and the cross-border effect on bidder’s M&A performance. Collectively, these findings increase understanding of the interdependence of financial flexibility and investments.

This dissertation studies the effects of external integration and internal liberalization on the economic geography within a country when regions within the country have different access to the world market. The first paper introduces internal geography into the Melitz (2003) model to examine how external and internal liberalizations affect the economic geography within a country. By dividing a country into a coastal region and an inland region, the model shows that trade leads the coastal region have a higher than proportional share of industry, and causes firms in the coastal region to be larger and more productive than firms in the inland region. Both external and internal liberalizations encourage industry agglomeration in the coastal region. However, external trade liberalization leads to firm divergence, and internal liberalization leads to firm convergence, between coastal and inland regions. This allows me to test the relative importance of internal and external liberalization. Using Chinese data from 1998 to 2007, I find that the manufacturing sector grew faster in the coastal region than in the inland region after the WTO accession in 2001. Firms also converged between coastal and inland regions, indicating that internal liberalization had stronger effects during this period. In the second paper, I document large economic discontinuities across the east/non-east provincial borders in China and argue that the border effects are largely due to preferential policies that give the east advantages in international trade and economic development. Using counties contiguous to the borders of 4 plain provinces, I find that manufacturing activities (output, employment, and export) increase abruptly from the west to the east of the borders. The counties in the east also have a lower share of agricultural population and a higher share of output by foreign firms. The economic discontinuities are larger for non-state sectors than for the state sector and are stronger in non-mountain regions than in mountain regions. The large economic discontinuities are unlikely to be explained by geographic and cultural differences across the borders, and can be accounted for by the policy differences between east and non-east provinces. I find that the openness level and the index of market liberalization can account for a large part of the east/non-east divide. In the third paper, I use the ending of the Multi-fiber Arrangement (MFA) to study the effects of an external trade liberalization on Chinese textile and clothing industry. After the Multi-fiber Arrangement ended in 2005, Chinese textile and clothing exports in products that faced quotas before experienced significant boom. The effects are stronger in the coastal region than in the inland region. Using distance to the seaport as a measure of world-market access, I show that the external trade liberalization (the quota removal) had larger effects on regions with better access to the world market. A further analysis of firm entry shows that the large adjustment of export after the expiration of the MFA was largely due to destination and product expansions by existing firms.

This study examines the effect of using toeholds in domestic and cross-border acquisitionprocesses on the bidder’s acquisition performance. The sample constitutes 1,701 acquisitionsof European listed firms over the period 2003-2016. Results reveal significant evidence of anadverse effect of toeholds on the bidder’s acquisition performance. However, in cross-borderacquisitions, the use of toeholds results on average in significantly higher abnormal returns.Finally, the use of toeholds is found to be more efficient in target countries with a civil-lawsystem compared to countries with a common-law system. Overall, these findings increase ourunderstanding of management actions about the application of toeholds as an acquisitionstrategy.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This dissertation is intended to measure the size of the home bias of commerce of the state of Rio Grande do Sul from 1999 to 2010. The size of the domestic bias gaucho trade was estimated using a gravity model, encompassing variables such as income, distance, population, and dummies adjacency and border effect. Empirically, the model was estimated with panel data via pooled OLS, and the data of bilateral trade flows correspond to trade status with the brazilian federal units and the BRICS countries. The results found for the size of home bias of commerce of the state of Rio Grande do Sul via OLS indicates that trade flows gaucho state with the other brazilian federative units is about 2.23 times larger than the state of bilateral flows Rio Grande do Sul with the BRICS countries. / Essa dissertação tem por objetivo mensurar o tamanho do viés doméstico de comércio do estado do Rio Grande do Sul no período de 1999 a 2010. O tamanho do viés doméstico de comércio gaúcho foi estimado por meio do modelo de gravidade, englobando variáveis como renda, distância, população, e dummies de adjacência e efeito fronteira. Empiricamente o modelo foi estimado com dados em painel via MQO pooled, sendo que os dados de fluxos comerciais bilaterais correspondem ao comércio do estado com as unidades federativas brasileiras e para países do BRICS. O resultado encontrado para o tamanho de viés doméstico de comércio do estado do Rio Grande do Sul aponta que os fluxos comerciais do estado gaúcho com as demais unidades federativas brasileiras é cerca de 2,23 vezes maior do que os fluxos bilaterais do estado do Rio Grande do Sul com os países do BRICS.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T18:57:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 25 / Nenhuma / Esta dissertação analisa o efeito fronteira do Brasil e de suas regiões para o ano de 1999. O efeito fronteira indica o viés do comércio doméstico em comparação com o comércio internacional. Esse efeito foi estimado empiricamente, utilizando-se dados de corte seccional, em um modelo gravitacional com os 26 estados brasileiros, mais o Distrito Federal e 40 países. Apesar de o Brasil ter se engajado em um processo de abertura comercial, como o ocorrido durante a década de 90, e ter participado de Acordos Preferenciais de Comércio importantes como o Mercosul, constatou-se que o país e algumas de suas regiões apresentam elevados custos de fronteira. Os resultados encontrados indicam que o comércio entre estados brasileiros é 33 vezes superior ao comércio internacional desses estados. Para as regiões brasileiras, o efeito fronteira das regiões Norte e Nordeste, é significativamente maior daquele observado nas regiões Sul e Sudeste / This paper analyzes the border effect for Brazilian goods market and its regions in 1999. The border effect indicates the bias for domestic trade compared with international trade. This effect was quantified empirically by using cross-sectional data in a gravitational model for twenty-six Brazilian states plus the Federal District and forty other countries. Despite Brazil's involvement in commercial opening in the 90's, as well as important regional trade agreements such as Mercosul, we noticed that Brazil and some of its regions have high crossborder costs. The finding results of this equation suggest a trade 33 times higher between Brazilian states than the international trade of these states. Regarding each Brazilian region, the border effect found for intra-national trade among Northeast and North regions is significantly higher than the border effect for Southeast and Southern regions.

Geographically, Pakistan is in the western part of south Asia at about 24-37 °N latitudes and62-75 °E longitudes. Livestock and agriculture are two major sectors in Pakistan and play animportant role in the country economy.The tick infestation in livestock is not only devastating for animals and their products but alsobecome the cause of transmission of pathogens into humans. Crimean Congo fever (CCHF) isa viral tick-borne fatal disease. The dissemination of ticks and amplification of Crimean Congofever (CCHF) pathogen throughout the tick-animals-tick cycle, increases risk of transmissionto humans many times. In Pakistan, cases are reported in all areas, particularly those areaswhich lie on the border to CCHF endemic countries. There is a high prevalence of CCHF inboth Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions. Baluchistan is bordering with Afghanistanand Iran and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Afghanistan. Linear regression analysis revealed apositive significant association of high level of CCHF cases in livestock, with camels, goatsand sheep. The literacy rate is negatively significantly corelated with the numbers of cases.Statistical analysis of border effect revealed a high positive significant correlation of CCHFprevalence in areas near to borders. Both Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) haslow literacy rate than other regions of Pakistan. Islamabad (capital city) has a higher literacyrate than all other regions but there is still a high CCHF prevalence. This is not only becauseof high population density but people from other regions, particularly from Baluchistan andKPK come here for animals selling or to seeking medical facilities in the large city hospitals.The study gives a proof that illiteracy and borders are the major respondent factors in theCCHF incidences and prevalence in an area. There is a need to raise awareness about ticksand tick-borne disease in the public and establishment of monitoring system across the bordersto prevent the spread of CCHF virus.

La coordination des institutions, par le biais de la création d’un périmètre de transport unique, est-elle la solution la mieux à même de faciliter le report modal au bénéfice des modes collectifs dans l’agglomération multipolaire azuréenne ? L’inadaptation des réseaux aux mobilités actuelles engendre des problèmes aigus de gestion du transport public. Cette inadaptation repose sur l’inadéquation des structures institutionnelles qui ne sont pas à la bonne échelle. Les pôles multiples doivent être reliés à des réseaux urbains interdépendants et cette nécessité s’accompagne de l’invention de nouvelles formes de gouvernement. Le travail comporte un premier chapitre présentant le cadre théorique de la relation entre agglomération multipolaire, institutions et organisation du transport dans un contexte spatial dense. En effet, les AOTU étaient, au départ, distinctes, ce choix étant justifié par l’état de l’urbanisation lors de leur création, mais elles gèrent des territoires désormais jointifs. Or, on ne peut imposer un périmètre conforme à un bassin de vie, d’où des inadaptations flagrantes.Un deuxième chapitre étudie les actions des autorités organisatrices du transport public dans l’espace multipolaire azuréen : la complexité de l’organisation institutionnelle est-elle la proie d’un effet de frontière entre AO ? Le Département est en retrait face à la croissance des AOTU et notamment de Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur ; cela forme un espace politique inadapté au contexte géographique. Une nouvelle structure fédérative, le SYMITAM, est créée mais ne remplit pas son rôle de coordination ; devant seconder le Département, elle est mise de fait au service de l’AOTU la plus conquérante.Enfin, grâce à l’analyse des mobilités et notamment par la mesure des actifs stables et sortants de chaque commune, et par les axes de TCSP, de TER et les pôles d’échanges qu’il serait nécessaire d’implanter pour mieux organiser les interrelations entre le littoral et le sous-ensemble intérieur, un troisième chapitre propose une résorption de l’effet de frontière par l’élaboration de nouveaux périmètres institutionnels. Nous montrons les AO les plus à même d’organiser la gestion de ce nouveau format territorial afin de contrecarrer la parcellisation institutionnelle. / Can the coordination of institutions, through the creation of a unique transport perimeter in the multipolar urban area of French Riviera, have a significant role in the modal shift ? The inadequacy of the current mobility networks creates acute problems of management of public transport. This maladjustment is based on the inadequacy of the institutional structures that are not at the right level. Multiple poles must be linked to interdependent urban networks and this necessity comes the invention of new forms of government.The work involves a first chapter with the theoretical framework of the relationship between multipolar agglomeration, institutions and organisation of transport in a dense spatial context. Indeed, the AOTU were initially separate, this choice was justified by the State of urbanization in their creation, but they manage now bearings territories. However, one cannot impose a perimeter consistent with a pool of life, hence of gross maladjustments.A second chapter studied the actions of the organizing authorities of public transport in the multipolar space azurean : the complexity of the institutional organization is prey to a border between AO effect ? The Department is indented to the growth of the AOTU and including Metropole Nice Côte d'Azur. A new federal structure, the SYMITAM, is created but does not fulfil its role of coordinator; to assist the Department, she becomes the puppet of the conquering AOTU.Finally, through analysis of mobility and in particular by measurement of stable and outgoing assets of each municipality, and the axes of TCSP, TER and the pole of exchanges that it would be necessary to implement to better organize the interrelationships between the coastline and the internal subset, a third chapter proposes a resorption of the effect of border by the development of new institutional perimeters. We show the AO the most capable of organizing the management of this new territorial format in order to counteract the institutional fragmentation.

國界不只是兩個主權國家的分界線，還交織各種政治、文化、經濟等複雜內涵，國界的意義和周邊地理位置的劃定會隨著時空不斷轉移。國界在主權的作用下，對於周邊地帶的發展以及毗鄰國家的互動，兼具有「阻礙」與「促進」的效果。學者向來關注不同邊境地區的特徵，並探討國界對當地發展的影響。 研究中國和越南國界意涵的轉變，並分析兩國邊境的貿易狀況與邊境地區的發展結果，將有助於邊界效應理論的擴展。中國和越南邊境地區的歷史淵源、經濟水準和制度環境均具有獨特性，不同於目前學界主流的美加、美墨、歐盟等地的邊界研究個案。兩國交界地區的互動頻率在亞洲國家之中也是最高的，這些背景讓學者將中越邊境視作研究邊境領域的「最佳個案」。然而，目前學者對於不同國界與邊境的特質為何、國界對邊境地區發展所造成的阻礙與促進效果為何，皆尚未產生共識，因此本文深入中越邊境的特殊背景探查實際情況。 本論文延伸邊界效應理論的應用，先從理論中歸納出國界阻礙或促進邊境地區發展的三項因素：國界的地理與政治隔絕、國界兩側的人文差異、區域整合對國界的衝擊。接著從環境背景、歷史沿革、當代設置等不同角度，檢視這三項因素在中越邊境所呈現的狀況。然後，使用中國和越南的歷史文獻、官方統計數據、西方調查研究報告、田野調查資料等，評估中越邊境邊貿的互動情況與長期經濟發展的趨勢。根據邊境地區的實際狀況，論證國界對於中越邊境的發展所造成的實質正面或負面效果。最後，納入中國和俄羅斯的例子作為比較個案，以建立適度的普遍化解釋。 / This research examines the “border effect” through analyzing the evidence from the China-Vietnam border area. China and Vietnam share a border with strong ties and similarities in culture and ethnicity inasmuch as historically the northern and central parts of Vietnam were ruled by the Chinese ancient empires for over 1,000 years. The close ties are further strengthened by the recent regional economic integration between the two countries. With regard to its particular historical background, the China-Vietnam border is essentially different from other border area However, existing research of border effect focuses mostly on cases such as the borders between Canada and United States, Mexico and United States or within the European Union but fails to incorporate the China-Vietnam border—a critical case in studying the border effect in Asian context. How do we understand the development of border areas in terms of the specificities in the China-Vietnam border? In this research, I test and reexamine the border effect theory using the China-Vietnam border trade case in three dimensions— (1) geographical and political isolation, (2) racial and cultural difference, and (3) regional integration. Focusing on the three dimensions, I firstly discuss the effects of border on either enhancement or hindrance of border regions’ development. I then conduct an empirical analysis on the China-Vietnam border trade, by which I will rethink the complexity of borders and border effects conceptually as well as theoretically. The empirical evidence shows strong effects of the border on the development of the China-Vietnam border area. At last, in order to generalize my argument, I compare the China-Vietnam border trade with the Sino-Russian case. The comparison helps assess the impact of the border transitions model on China border zone.

La crise alimentaire de 2008 a suscité un regain d’intérêt pour les questions agricoles et de sécurité alimentaire dans les pays en développement. Partant du constat que près de 27% de la population d’Afrique Sub-saharienne souffre de malnutrition, cette thèse a pour objectif de contribuer à une meilleure compréhension des causes complexes de l’insécurité alimentaire. Le premier chapitre étudie les mécanismes de transmission des variations du prix mondial du riz aux prix domestiques dans trois pays ouest-africain: le Sénégal, le Tchad et le Mali. Les résultats indiquent que le prix du riz importé à Dakar et le prix du riz local à Bamakorépondent de façon asymétrique aux variations du prix mondial. Le chapitre 2 teste la présence d’obstacles aux échanges agricoles entre pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre. Il ressort de l’analyse que le passage des frontières est coûteux. Toutefois, le coût associé au passage de la frontière est plus faible entre pays membre d’une même union économique et monétaire. Le chapitre 3 a pour objectif le renforcement des systèmes d’alertes précoces des crises alimentaires existants au Sahel. Il montre qu’il est possible d’anticiper les crises de prix avec six mois d’avance en analysant les mouvements passés des prix des céréales. Enfin, le chapitre 4 s’intéresse à la vulnérabilité des ménages face aux chocs pluviométriques. Il révèle que les ménages ruraux au Burkina Faso n’ont pas la capacité d’assurer ou d’absorber ces chocs climatiques. / This doctoral thesis is in line with the renewed interest in research on agriculture and food security, following the 2008 global food crisis. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to a better understanding of the complex issues surrounding food security. The first chapter investigates whether the changes in the international price of rice are transmitted to the domestic prices of rice in Senegal, Mali and Chad. Results indicate that the domestic prices of imported rice in Dakar and of local rice in Bamako react differently to changes in the world price depending on whether the world price is rising or falling. Chapter 2 analyses by how much trade barriers at the border and transport costs impede the integration of agricultural markets in West and Central Africa. Results highlight the role played by borders in explaining price deviations between markets. Additionally, belonging to an economic union and sharingthe same currency appear as major determinants of market integration. The third chapter aims at providing new early warning indicators based on food prices in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. Our analysis reveals that price crisis can be predicted about 6 months in advance through the observation of past price movements. Chapter 4 focuses on the analysis of children’s vulnerability to climate shocks in Burkina Faso. By combining health data originating from a 2008 household survey with meteorological data, we show the importance of weather conditions in prenatal period and in the first year of life on the future nutritional status of the children.