Trade agreements by Colombia, Ecuador and Peru with the United States: Effects on trade, production and welfare

The Computable General Equilibrium model, based on the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model, is used to evaluate the impact of separate bilateral free trade agreements by Colombia, Ecuador and Peru with the United States of America (USA). As the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA) is to expire shortly, a number of different scenarios have been analyzed: full liberalization, liberalization excluding sensitive products and non-conclusion of agreements. Signature of the agreements would lead to a widespread increase in trade among the negotiating countries to the detriment of their Andean partners. While the effects on welfare would benefit only the United States and Peru, from the capital accumulation standpoint they are clearly positive for all countries. Research shows that, while these agreements would not be enough on their own to trigger a process of sustained development, an active economic and social policy could usefully tap their potential