Showing papers by "Helen V. Milner published in 2007"
TL;DR: In this paper, the domestic political factors affecting whether countries enter preferential trading arrangements are investigated, placing particular emphasis on the number of veto players within a state, and the results, covering 194 countries from 1950 to 1999, strongly support this argument.
Abstract: Since the Second World War, preferential trading arrangements (PTAs) have become increasingly pervasive features of the international economic system. A great deal of research has addressed the economic consequences of these arrangements, but far less effort has been made to identify the political factors leading states to enter them. In this article, the domestic political factors affecting whether countries enter PTAs are investigated, placing particular emphasis on the number of veto players within a state. It is argued that the probability of forming a PTA declines as the number of such players rises. The results, covering 194 countries from 1950 to 1999, strongly support this argument. Holding various political and economic factors constant, increasing the number of veto players within a country significantly reduces the probability of signing a PTA.
136 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined whether commercial openness has affected environmental policy in the post-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States and found that trade openness undermined a key element of environmental policy by reducing governments' ability to collect environmental taxes and support environmental investments.
Abstract: This article examines whether commercial openness has affected environmental policy in the postcommunist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. During the Cold War, these countries had closed trade regimes combined with little environmental regulation and poor environmental quality. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the breakup of the Soviet Union, many postcommunist countries have engaged in extensive trade liberalization. Some countries, however, have been slower to open their markets, and others have maintained highly protectionist trade policies. Have countries that opened up to global markets improved their environmental policies, or has increasing exposure to the international trading system undermined efforts to improve environmental policy? The results indicate that trade openness undermined a key element of environmental policy in the region by reducing governments' ability to collect environmental taxes and support environmental investments.
41 citations