Call for Papers and Research Projects
VI Workshop of the Regional Integration Network (RIN)
Puebla, México, January 26-27, 2007

The Sixth Workshop of the Regional Integration Network (RIN) will be held in Cholula, Puebla, Mexico, January 26-27, 2007. This Workshop is sponsored by LACEA and is organized by the Center for Research in Economics and Public Policy of the Universidad de las Américas, Puebla (CIEPP-UDLAP).
The RIN Workshop is a unique event that brings together top researchers and policymakers from around the world to discuss recent theoretical and empirical advances in the economics and politics of Regional Integration Agreements (RIAs). The goal of these meetings is to use the findings of research in order to gain a better understanding of the problems, opportunities and policy challenges faced by Latin American and Caribbean countries in the process of integration and also to encourage further research on the subject. While authors should feel free to submit papers on all areas linked to economic integration, this Sixth Workshop will specially welcome papers that address the topic of Regional Cooperation (regulatory policies and infrastructure); of asymmetries in the integration process, and of the performance of RIAs under the emergence of China and India in world markets.
The program will consist of eight brainstorming sessions that will be divided into invited sessions and regular sessions. The papers for the regular sessions will be selected among the submitted papers. Each paper of both invited and regular sessions will be briefly commented by a discussant leaving ample time for general discussion.
A Program Committee formed by Antoni Estevadeordal (Inter-American Development Bank), Marcelo Olarreaga (World Bank), Pablo Sanguinetti (Universidad Torcuato DiTella), ,Isidro Soloaga (Centro de Investigación en Economía y Políticas Públicas,UDLAP) and Juan Rafael Vargas (Universidad de Costa Rica) will be in charge of selecting the contributed papers and discussants for the regular sessions as well as the participants in invited sessions.
Previous meetings of the Regional Integration Network attracted very good papers and an extremely qualified attendance from around the world resulting in a very fruitful exchange of ideas. Past participants included Jeffrey Bergstrand, Edward Leamer, Arvind Panagariya, Anthony Venables and Jeffrey Williamson, among others.
We welcome theoretical and empirical research relevant for understanding the economics and politics of RIAs (for convenience, a list of suggested topics is included in this Call for Papers which although not exhaustive will serve as a guide for Workshop participants). Both policy oriented and theoretical papers are welcomed. A special emphasis will be placed on attracting young scholars.
In order to participate in the Workshop it will be necessary to submit a paper or research project testifying to the author's research commitment to this field. For some academic participants, we expect to be able to offer hotel accommodations and a round-trip economy class (most direct) airfare. We urge you to find other sources of funds to cover other transportation costs, as we are running this on a very limited budget. Academics and researchers currently occupying policy-making positions are welcome to participate in the Workshop without presenting a paper. These participants will have to procure funding from their own institutions to participate in the Workshop from their own institutions.
Please, send us an email indicating your willingness to participate in the Workshop to rin2006.ciepp@udlap.mx no later than November 14th, together with the title of the paper and an abstract. The submission deadline for papers and research projects is December 5th. Papers (preliminary drafts are acceptable) must be submitted in PDF format. The authors of the selected papers and discussants will be notified before December 20th.
In this year's Workshop we hope to replicate the success of previous editions. As an additional incentive, and as all who participated in the 8th Meetings of LACEA in 2003 organized by UDLAP are well aware of, please note that Cholula and the State of Puebla are two of the most important tourists attraction in Mexico (consult www.udlap.mx)

Sincerely,

Andrés Velasco
LACEA's President
Sumitomo-FASID Professor of International Finance and Development
Kennedy School of Government

Isidro Soloaga
Chairperson
Center for Research in Economics and Public Policy (CIEPP)
Universidad de las Américas, Puebla

Regional Integration Network: Suggested List of Topics

I. Trade Integration
- Analysis of North-South RIAs (ie. LAC Bilateral agreements with US, Europe, Japan)
- Multilateral Trade Rules (WTO) and Regional Trade Arrangements
- Effects of Trading Blocks on Global Liberalization
- Lessons from NAFTA and other RIAs.
- Effects of RIAs at the sub-national level.
- CGE and other approaches to modeling trade integration
II. The Economics and Politics of Regional Integration Agreements (RIAs)
- Economic and Political Determinants of RIAs
- Performance of RIAs under the new protagonism of China and India in world markets.
- Impact of new players
- Political Economy dimensions of RIAs (e.g. should Mercosur or the Andean Community negotiate RIA as a bloc or individually? Should RIAs be used as a trade liberalization strategy?)
-Asymmetries in the integration proccess
- Dispute Settlement Mechanisms within RIAs
- The asymmetries of economic size of trade partners
- South-South trade agreements
- Agriculture and trade
- Regional integration, poverty and inequality
- The Rise of Regionalism in Asia and its effects on LAC
III. Monetary and Financial Integration
- Currency Unions
- Exchange Rate Harmonization
- Macroeconomic coordination
IV. Integration beyond Trade
- Regional Cooperation (regulatory policies and infrastructure, i.e. PPP, IIRSA, etc.)
- Product Standards
- Labor Standards
- Environmental Standards
- Intellectual Property Rights
- Government Procurement
- Competition Policy
- Capital Markets Integration (insurance, banking, supervision)
- Tax Harmonization
- Investment Agreements
V. The Economic and Social Impact of Integration (as defined in II, III and IV)
- Trade Patterns
- Production Patterns
- Growth
- Technology Diffusion and Productivity
- Industrial Location and Spatial Agglomeration
- FDI
- Income Distribution
- Migration and Remittances
- Employment
- Agriculture