Services trade liberalisation and patterns of trade in intermediates: determinants, comparative advantage and intra-firm trade

This dissertation consists of four chapters, which are self-contained and can be read independently of each other. In Chapter 1, we analyse services trade liberalisation, which is a prerequisite for international production networks to arise. In particular, we study the determinants of services liberalisation undertaken by countries under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) of 1995. In Chapters 2-4, we analyse different aspects of the patterns of trade in intermediates. In Chapter 2, we assess the determinants of bilateral trade in intermediate goods and services. In Chapter 3, we investigate the role of institutions and transport infrastructure as sources of comparative advantage for intermediate goods. In Chapter 4, we study trade in intermediates in the context of the activities of multinational enterprises by assessing the determinants of the share of intra-firm trade in total trade of intermediates