A unique regional economic integration database is made available to the public
The EDB Regional Integration Database provides comprehensive up-to-date information on 92 regional economic groupings, customs unions and trade agreements: their experience should be taken into account to further develop the Eurasian Economic Union.
Saint Petersburg, 18 November 2014. The Regional Integration Database is an applied research project implemented by Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Centre for Integration Studies. The objectives associated with the establishment and advancement of the Eurasian Economic Union require that both positive and negative global experience in regional integration should be taken into account. To this end the Centre for Integration Studies makes this regularly updated database on regional integration organisations (RIOs) and agreements available to the public.
The unique feature of this database is that it lists not only “classic” multilateral agreements on free trade between countries, all customs and economic unions of the world, and “the unions of unions” (agreements between customs unions), but also comprises data on river basin organisations (focusing on the creation and development of shared infrastructure) and regional fora. It also includes new ‘mega-deals’ such as the US-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, among others. Overall, the Regional Integration Database contains data on 92 RIOs.
These organisations and agreements are analysed with more than 130 indicators, including trade flows, investment, budget, currency and finance, institutional development, and political aspects. The variables contained in the database may be of interest to economists, political analysts, sociologists, and international relations specialists. These include macroeconomic variables and indicators of mutual trade, foreign trade parameters, the institutional structure of the groupings, the indicators of economic and political asymmetry and political regimes in member states, their influence on the world politics, the existence of military conflicts between them, and publicly available information about their secretariats and budgets. These are a small portion of indicators.
The applied purpose of the research is to provide a structural comparison between Eurasian integration and all other regions and forms of economic integration. The Regional Integration Database is expected to produce a comprehensive profile of the advantages and disadvantages of integration models, the elements of which can be effectively used in Eurasian integration.
“The Eurasian Development Bank makes this database available to the public and will encourage its use by researchers for the solution of empirical tasks,” says Evgeny Vinokurov, Director of the EDB Centre for Integration Studies. “The Regional Integration Database is unique in terms of its scope: 92 organisations and agreements with up to 130 indicators for each of them. We plan to further develop and expand the database.”
The Regional Integration Database is expected to become the best database in its class since it provides the comprehensive and most up-to-date information on regional economic integration.
The database and related materials are accessible at EDB website.
Additional Information
Eurasian Development Bank is an international financial institution founded by Russia and Kazakhstan in January 2006 with the mission to facilitate the development of market economies, sustainable economic growth and the expansion of mutual trade and other economic ties in its member states. EDB’s charter capital exceeds US $1.5 billion. The member states of the Bank are the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, and the Republic of Tajikistan. Read more at https://www.eabr.org.
The Centre for Integration Studies is a specialized research centre of Eurasian Development Bank. The Centre manages research and prepares reports and recommendations on regional economic integration. Read more about the Centre’s projects and publications at www.eabr.org/r/research/analytics/centre/