Preferential Trading Arrangements and Industrial Location

This paper considers the location effects of geographically discriminatory trade policy. A preferential move towards a customs union pulls industry into the integrating countries. When internal barriers fall below some critical level, input-output links between imperfectly competitive firms lead some customs union countries to gain industry at the expense of others. A hub- and-spoke arrangement favours location in the hub, with better reciprocal access induces agglomeration in the hub and may trigger disparities between the spokes.