Colloquium: Essays on Market Access, Institutional Infrastructure, and Economic Development

ABSTRACT:  This dissertation comprises three essays on how different forms of market access are created, sustained, and translated into international trade and local development.

The first essay studies the loss of formal policy access. It examines how the disappearance of all shared Regional Trade Agreement coverage between country pairs affects bilateral trade. The analysis shows that RTA de-coverage leads to substantial trade losses, with effects that appear quickly after preferential access is removed.

The second essay studies technical access through international standardization. It asks whether country-level ISO access raises trade and through which margin. The results show that trade increases not only when both partners have ISO access, but already when one partner is connected to the ISO system. This pattern is consistent with a quality infrastructure capability channel, where ISO access helps countries use standards and certification as trade infrastructure.

The third essay turns to digital access and local development. It studies whether the emergence and recognition of Taobao Villages, as e-commerce clusters in China, is associated with visible changes in local economic activity. Using village-level nighttime lights, the analysis finds modest increases around TBV recognition, with stronger effects in places with more favorable local conditions.

By bringing together evidence from international trade and local development, the dissertation shows that market access depends not only on demand, but also on the institutions, standards, digital platforms, and local conditions that make demand reachable.