Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/26520 
Year of Publication: 
2008
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 2475
Publisher: 
Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich
Abstract: 
This paper explores official trade data to identify patterns of smuggling in international trade. Our main measure of interest is the difference in matched partner trade statistics, i.e., the extent to which the recorded export value in the source country deviates from the reported import value in the destination country. Analyzing 4-digit product level data for the world's five largest importers for the period from 2002-2006, we find that the reporting gaps are highly correlated with the level of corruption in both partner countries. This finding supports the hypothesis that trade gaps partly represent smuggling activities.
Subjects: 
Corruption
illicit
illegal
trade
statistics
tariffs
JEL: 
D73
F14
F19
O17
O57
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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