Project DESTA 3.0

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Since WWII, over 800 preferential trade agreements (PTAs) have been signed. Many of these agreements cover not only tariff reductions but also trade in services, intellectual property rights, investments, and even environmental or labor standards. PTAs vary significantly in scope and obligation, making the analysis of their contents and design crucial for understanding their formation, evolution, and impact. So far, the contents of PTAs has been measured through manual coding, as seen in the DESTA dataset. However, this approach is labour-intensive and expertise-dependent. To substitute for manual coding, this project aims to develop a computational text analysis method using large language models to automate the measurement of PTA design. The resulting data will help analyze how PTAs respond to global value chains and the spread of provisions across agreements. By creating an innovative, scalable approach to capture the contents and design of PTAs, the project promises to enhance our understanding of PTAs and their broader economic and regulatory effects.

The project will be carried out in cooperation with Manfred Elsig ( https://www.wti.org/institute/people/30/elsig-manfred/) from the World Trade Institute ( https://www.wti.org/).

Project coordinator: Univ.-Prof. Andreas Dür, Mag. MA PhD
Project website:  The Design of Trade Agreements and Global Supply Chains