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Ethnic minorities and trade: The Soviet Union as a natural experiment

Gokmen, Gunes LU ; Nikishina, Elena and Vézina, Pierre‐Louis (2018) In World Economy 41(7).
Abstract
This paper examines the role of ethnic minorities in bilateral trade between countries of the ex‐Soviet Union. We argue that both forced re‐settlement of entire ethnic groups during the Stalin era and artificially drawn borders in Central Asia led to an exogenous ethnic composition within countries. Using data collected by ethnologists on the share of ethnic groups across countries, we build an index of bilateral ethnic networks and estimate its effect on trade using a gravity model. While ethnic networks do not seem to have played a role in inter‐republic trade during the Soviet Union, we find a positive and significant effect of ethnic networks on trade in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union. This effect, however, eroded... (More)
This paper examines the role of ethnic minorities in bilateral trade between countries of the ex‐Soviet Union. We argue that both forced re‐settlement of entire ethnic groups during the Stalin era and artificially drawn borders in Central Asia led to an exogenous ethnic composition within countries. Using data collected by ethnologists on the share of ethnic groups across countries, we build an index of bilateral ethnic networks and estimate its effect on trade using a gravity model. While ethnic networks do not seem to have played a role in inter‐republic trade during the Soviet Union, we find a positive and significant effect of ethnic networks on trade in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union. This effect, however, eroded steadily from the early 2000s. (Less)
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author
; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
World Economy
volume
41
issue
7
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85045856770
ISSN
1467-9701
DOI
10.1111/twec.12650
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
791489ba-afad-4c53-98d9-75a10b556845
date added to LUP
2018-09-25 16:50:31
date last changed
2022-01-31 05:26:25
@article{791489ba-afad-4c53-98d9-75a10b556845,
  abstract     = {{This paper examines the role of ethnic minorities in bilateral trade between countries of the ex‐Soviet Union. We argue that both forced re‐settlement of entire ethnic groups during the Stalin era and artificially drawn borders in Central Asia led to an exogenous ethnic composition within countries. Using data collected by ethnologists on the share of ethnic groups across countries, we build an index of bilateral ethnic networks and estimate its effect on trade using a gravity model. While ethnic networks do not seem to have played a role in inter‐republic trade during the Soviet Union, we find a positive and significant effect of ethnic networks on trade in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union. This effect, however, eroded steadily from the early 2000s.}},
  author       = {{Gokmen, Gunes and Nikishina, Elena and Vézina, Pierre‐Louis}},
  issn         = {{1467-9701}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{World Economy}},
  title        = {{Ethnic minorities and trade: The Soviet Union as a natural experiment}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/twec.12650}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/twec.12650}},
  volume       = {{41}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}