Summary
This paper presents results of empirical investigations into the spatial structure of world trade. A cluster approach to measure the integration of various countries through international trade is being used for analysing world trade matrices for several years since 1968. This approach has earlier been applied for the OECD countries and proved to be successful.
Our study was inspired by the work of Andreas Predöhl (Predöhl 1971). In Predöhl’s view the spatial structure of international trade reflects a spatial order of the world economy which developed during the period of industrialization and the basic pattern of which still exists. Our empirical findings indicate that four world regions form integration areas and/or trade blocs of higher intensity in 1983: Western Europe, the COMECON countries, USA/Canada/ Mexico, and Southeast Asia.
We also tried to gain some insight into the causes of the observed spatial order of the world economy. In this context we present empirical estimates based on a doubly constrained gravity model. The results clearly show the influence of the distance factor (in the broadest sense), of adjacency, and of integrative effects of the EEC, the EFTA and some other preferential trading areas.
Finally, we add some remarks on regionalization as an economic rather than a political phenomenon.
The empirical work referred to in section III of this study was conducted by Thomas Brünger and is documented in: Brünger, Peschel 1986, 1987.
Section IV contains results of a trade model estimated by Herold C. Rohweder. They are documented in detail in: Rohweder 1987.
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Peschel, K. (1990). On the Spatial Structure of the World Economy Since World War II. In: Gehrels, F., Herberg, H., Schneider, H., Vosgerau, HJ. (eds) Real Adjustment Processes under Floating Exchange Rates. Studies in International Economics and Institutions. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84198-9_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84198-9_8
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