8th Annual Washington Area International Trade Symposium (WAITS) Conference

Friday, April 27, 2018

Inter-American Development Bank CR-200
1330 New York Avenue NW
Washington DC 20577

The Washington Area International Trade Symposium (WAITS) is a forum that highlights trade research at institutions in the Washington D.C. area. Its primary activity is sponsoring an annual research conference where scholars present their latest academic work. Researchers from George Washington University, American University, the Census Bureau, the Federal Reserve Board, Georgetown University, the Inter-American Development Bank, Johns Hopkins University (SAIS), the U.S. International Trade Commission, the University of Maryland, and the World Bank have all participated in the symposium.

Contact iiep@gwu.edu with any questions. Please note that WAITS conferences are open to the public but participants are asked to register here.

View the Schedule

8:15 – 8:50 AM: Continental Breakfast and Registration
8:50 – 9:00 AM: Opening Remarks
Antoni Estevadeordal, Manager, Integration and Trade Sector, Inter-American Development Bank

Mike Moore, George Washington University

9:00 – 9:45 AM: Policy Credibility and Firm Growth in the Global Economy
Nuno Limao, University of Maryland
Discussant: Luciana Juvenal, IMF

9:45 – 10:30 AM: Uncertainty and Trade Elasticities
Olga Timoshenko, George Washington University
Discussant: Ina Simonovska, University of Maryland

10:30 – 10:45 AM: Coffee Break

10:45 – 11:30 AM: Information and Exports: Firm-Level Evidence From an Online Platform
Christian Volpe Martincus, Inter-American Development Bank
Discussant: Maggie Chen, George Washington University

11:30 – 12:15 PM: The Impact of Trade on Managerial Incentives and Productivity
Cristina Tello-Trillo, U.S. Census Bureau
Discussant: Anna Maria Mayda, Georgetown University

12:15 – 1:00 PM: Investment Responses to Trade Liberalization: Evidence from U.S. Industries and Establishments
Justin Pierce, Federal Reserve Board
Discussant: Fariha Kamal, U.S. Census Bureau

1:00 – 2:00 PM: Lunch (Provided)

2:00 – 2:45 PM: Goods and Factor Market Integration: A Quantitative Assessment of the EU Enlargement
Fernando Parro, SAIS– Johns Hopkins University
Discussant: Mariano Somale, Federal Reserve Board

2:45 – 3:30 PM: Assessing Market (Dis) Integration in Pre-Modern China and Europe Dan Bernhofen, American University
Discussant: Paulo Bastos, World Bank

3:30 – 3:45 PM: Coffee Break

3:45 – 4:30 PM: The Trade Effects of the New Silk Road
Michele Ruta, World Bank
Discussant: Mauricio Mesquita Moreira, Inter-American Development Bank

4:30 – 5:15 PM: How Does Industry Comparative Advantage Affect Establishments?
Serge Shikher, USITC
Discussant: Kara Reynolds, American University

5:15 – 6:00 PM: Endogenous Trade Policy in a Global Value Chain: Evidence from Chinese Micro-level Processing Trade
Rod Ludema, Georgetown University
Discussant: Paul Piveteau, SAIS– Johns Hopkins University

6:00 – 6:15 PM: Closing Remarks
Aaron Flaaen, Federal Reserve Board
Christian Volpe Martincus, Inter-American Development Bank

George Washington University’s Institute for International Economic Policy, housed at the Elliott School of International Affairs, is dedicated to producing and disseminating high-quality non-partisan academic and policy relevant research on international economic policy. Areas of focus include international trade, international finance, and development economics.