F14 - Empirical Studies of TradeReturn

The meat production and meat processing industry are the most important parts of the agribusiness in the Czech Republic. The problem of the industry is its low competitiveness towards foreign producers and processors which results in negative balance of foreign trade. The aim of the article is to evaluate long-term development of value and structure of Czech foreign trade flows of meat and meat products. The analysis covers the period of 2001-2014. The problems of the negative trade balance are revealed through description of the trade flows of meat and meat products, the RCA index and relations between import and export prices. The analysis points out the problems of low competitiveness of the intermediate and finalized meat. Alternatively, Czech Republic has comparative advantage in live animals, sausages and homogenized meat products.

In this paper, we present our own modification of the Export Decision Support Model (EDSM) and its application on evaluation of export opportunities for Czech companies. The main objective of the model is to identify export opportunities which might help to target the export promotion policy of the Czech Republic. The EDSM methodology is based on sequential elimination of less interesting markets. We have amended and calibrated the EDSM for the Czech Republic and created a new variable - our Index of Export Opportunities - which classifies markets depending on their suitability for export. Calibration was performed on a data sample covering global trade data from 2006 to 2012. The results of the model have been used as a tool for an evidence-based export promotion policy in the Czech Republic. The results were tested by the real foreign demand for Czech products in specific industries and importing countries based on information from Czech embassies and trade promotion organisations.

The importance of export promotion and marketing cannot be overemphasized. This is because of the attendant economic flow into the home country. Because of these benefits, Nigeria as a sovereign nation has been involved in exportation of goods and services. After forty-nine years of independence, Nigeria's export drive has failed to yield the expected economic benefits to the country. The export promotion policies of the government appear to be ineffective. This paper highlights the export promotion and marketing problems in Nigeria and the lessons therein. The paper contains recommendations that authors believe would produce result-oriented export promotion strategies and a strong and healthy economy in the face of the current global economic crisis.

Bolivian exports to the United States (US) market in 2005, without counting natural gas, constituted 22 % of the total exports, making this country the main destination market especially for the manufactured goods that Bolivia offers. The increased importance of the US market for Bolivia lies in the fact that it (the US market) represents a different profile of specialization, since the domestic Bolivian exports to the US market, in contrast to those that are made to the rest of the world, show a relatively high proportion of manufactured goods. Bolivia sends 55% of these goods with high value incorporated, as opposed to raw materials, which is a typical export for Bolivia.
The trade relations between Bolivia and the US have been fundamental especially at the level of preferential treatment. This means tariff exemptions that only apply to specific countries. This tariff preference of the US to developing countries adopted a subregional approach, as in the case of the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA). This act came into effect in December 1991 and was extended to August 2002, not only in the coverage of products, but it was linked with the fight against drugs through the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA), whose effect has been extended several times and which is currently at risk of concluding definitely.
In this context, this paper takes an eminently commercial approach; both the situation and the prospects of the ATPDEA are analysed from the point of view of its impact on Bolivian exports, major companies, regions and exported products, as well as the ATPDEA's effects on employment.

There are many sophisticated discussions about the possible effects of the regional economic cooperation. Their results have been ambiguous. However, it is evident that regional trade agreements (RTAs) have been increasingly transforming international trade, especially since the second half of the 1990s. The region of South-East Asia has become more interested in such cooperation only after the Asian financial crisis in 1997. Especially the case of Japan proves how the Asian governments have changed their approach to the international economic cooperation. They shifted the emphasis from the multilateral negotiations under the umbrella of the WTO to regional and bilateral agreements. However, despite its fast pace the process of regionalism in South-East Asia is still at the very beginning. It remains to be seen whether the Asian countries will stay on the level of broader FTAs or whether they will follow the European example of a deep economic and political integration.