Agree intangible benefits of FTAs can be very important / almost impossible to model estimate. In services in particular where networks and the trading of ideas is so important. Maybe we need more ex post than ex ante modelling! Complemented with deep quali to get into the people stuff!
I think that would be a good idea! The quali stuff would inevitably end up being case-studyish, but it would be interesting to get a sense of exactly *why* companies decided to sell, invest, etc post-FTA when they didn't before or if it was just the natural expansion of their business activities.
Congrats on the 100th edition!
Thank you!
Agree intangible benefits of FTAs can be very important / almost impossible to model estimate. In services in particular where networks and the trading of ideas is so important. Maybe we need more ex post than ex ante modelling! Complemented with deep quali to get into the people stuff!
I think that would be a good idea! The quali stuff would inevitably end up being case-studyish, but it would be interesting to get a sense of exactly *why* companies decided to sell, invest, etc post-FTA when they didn't before or if it was just the natural expansion of their business activities.
Agree! Anecdotally, you hear quite a few stories of EU-based companies just deciding to drop the UK, even when it's not necessarily required.