Researcher
Arne Melchior
Contactinfo and files
Summary
Arne Melchior’s research areas include international trade and global development; trade policy and international economic institutions; international inequality; geographical economics and regional development; Asia, India and China. Ph.D. (Dr. Polit., 1997) in economics from the University of Oslo, on international economic integration.
He has been head of the international economics group at NUPI for extended periods, and Assistant Director (3 years). Before research career: Experience from international trade negotiations as government official; including multilateral trade negotiations, and bilateral negotiations with several Asian countries. Experience from managing a large number of research projects.
Expertise
Education
1997 Dr. polit., University of Oslo, Dept. of Economics. Dissertation: On the Economics of Market Access and International Economic Integration.
1990 Cand. polit, economics, University of Bergen, Norway, specialisation in economics, thesis: On the impact of quotas on low-cost imports of clothing
1981 Certificate of Advanced European Studies, Bruges, Belgium. Specialisation: International economics.
Work Experience
1989- Research Fellow/Senior Research Fellow/Head of Department/Assistant Director at NUPI
1981-1987 Senior Executive Officer/Head of Division, Ministry of Trade and Shipping, Norway
Aktivitet
Filter
Clear all filters
Responsible Innovation and Happiness: A New Approach to the Effects of ICTs (HAPPY)
The project intends to contribute to the responsible innovation literature by carrying out a set of conceptual and empirical studies on the socio-economic effects of ICTs, considering ...
Handelen med medisinske varer og Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemy has exposed vulnerability for pharmaceuticals and medical goods. Does globalisation create more or less vulnerability? - The majority of countries import all their drugs and only eighteen countries are net exporters. - Exports are dominated by Western Europa, with China and India some way down the list. - Globalisation has spread the risk for medical goods by an increased number of suppliers and less export concentration. A main driver is increased export from small European countries. - At a more detailed level of goods, the picture is more mixed, with growing concentration in some cases. - Export restrictions contribute to market collapse and higher prices, that particularly hit poor countries that import all their needs. - For Norway, European integration is important for medical contingency planning.
Consequences for the seafood industry of termination of the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement
The main aim of the project is the publication of a book in Norwegian about the consequences for the seafood industry if the EEA agreement is terminated. ...
Can trade preferences stimulate sectoral development? The case of Namibian and Botswanan beef exports to Norway
• While market access quotas have generated high levels of rents for traders and exporters in Namibia, Botswana, Norway, and offshore entities in the UK, their developmental benefits are diffuse, unclear, and difficult to unpack; • The consolidation of trade between small supply (Namibia, Botswana) and demand markets (Norway) provides some unique advantages for trading parties, given the former’s efficiency and scale disadvantages in international trade, and the latter’s desire to actively manage its food imports; • However, such a strategy is not necessarily replicable or scalable, as it entails both high entry costs for access and high risks from the over-reliance on a limited number of markets and the specter of animal disease incursions.
Russia in world trade: Between globalism and regionalism
The article examines Russia’s participation in world trade and trade policy, using trade data for 1996–2017 and simulations of a numerical world trade model where Russia is divided into domestic regions. Since the mid-1990s, Russia’s foreign trade has grown much faster than the world average. This was accompanied by rapid deterioration in the trade balance for manufacturing, and fast redirection of imports, with more from China and relatively less from others, especially Eastern Europe. Only 1/8 of Russia’s foreign trade in 2017 was with Eastern Europe. This is why Russia can gain more from trade integration with the world beyond Eastern Europe, according to the model simulation analysis. For Russian domestic regions, multilateral liberalization among all countries has a similar effect across all of them, with a welfare gain due to lower import prices. For the commodity-exporting regions of Russia, preferential free trade agreements (FTAs) have a similar impact. For the more industrialized Russian regions, on the other hand, FTAs lead to manufacturing growth, rising wages and higher prices, and a larger welfare gain. According to the model simulations, trade integration promotes industrial diversification, with manufacturing growth also in some commodity regions. The results indicate that external liberalization is particularly important for the central parts of Russia; with Volga and West Siberia generally obtaining the strongest manufacturing boost from trade integration.
State-owned Enterprises and the Trade Wars
Do state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and state capitalism create unfair competition in international markets? Empirical evidence surveyed in this brief suggests that from the turn of the century, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) indeed started competing increasingly with private firms, trading across borders and establishing themselves abroad through foreign direct investment. Some SOEs benefited from government-granted advantages unavailable to their private peers. International legal disputes involving SOEs have multiplied, and discussions of new trade and investment policy initiatives aiming to discipline SOEs have emerged. However, opinions differ as to what are the best policy approaches. The OECD Guidelines on SOEs would go a long way towards maintaining an international level playing field, but these are not mandatory and therefore unevenly implemented. WTO law gives countries freedom in managing their SOEs and focuses instead on disciplining government actions which may distort competition in international markets, irrespective of their ownership status. Some recent preferential trading agreements (PTAs) have included new SOE-specific disciplines that may influence future policy developments. On-going concerns about the allegedly unfair trade practices in emerging market economies with large state sectors, most notably China, are likely to strengthen the pressure for a closer scrutiny of SOEs and a development of new national and international disciplines. Improved transparency and disclosure are likely to be a common denominator of these new initiatives.
Global trade policy at the crossroads (UD trade policy seminars)
In this project, NUPI will contribute to address the need for knowledge on the feed on the new global trade situation. ...
WTO and the trade war: The end of peaceful conflict resolution?
If president Trump doesn’t change his mind, the WTO will be in a crisis from 11 December. What has caused the crisis, and can it be resolved?
Introduction
This is the introductory chapter of a book that investigates the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on development and well-being (beyond economic benefits). The book highlights key issues relating to the realities, constraints and digital divides with particular reference to India. It collects a series of novel contributions, studying the Indian experience in an international cross-country perspective. The book also discusses economic, social, and behavioural aspects of well-being as well as access to ICTs across regions, states and individuals to account for the digital divide. The book establishes an aggregate relationship between ICT exposure and well-being at the country level and addresses a number of fundamental issues, such as whether ICT raises the level of transparency and governance. Based on case studies and anecdotal evidence, it then further assesses the effective implementation of service delivery through ICT innovations. The introductory chapter surveys the literature and presents background information on the Indian case; introduces the main themes on the relationships between ICT, socio-economic development and digital divides; and provides a summary and roadmap to the chapters of the book. While the book has a main focus on India, various contributions take an international cross-country comparative perspective, and the results have general relevance for digitalisation and development. On the whole, the main message of this book is that the impact of ICTs is contingent upon other assets, capabilities and institutional conditions. National policies should, therefore, not only promote digitalization as such but also ensure its co-evolution and complementarity with a variety of other country-specific factors.
Digitalisation and Development: Issues for India and Beyond
This book investigates the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on development and well-being (beyond economic benefits) and highlights some emerging issues relating to the realities, constraints and digital divides with particular reference to India. It collects a series of novel contributions, studying the Indian experience in an international cross-country perspective. The book also discusses economic, social, and behavioural aspects of well-being as well as access to ICTs across regions, states and individuals to account for the digital divide. The book establishes an aggregate relationship between ICT exposure and well-being at the country level and addresses a number of fundamental issues, such as whether ICT raises the level of transparency and governance. Based on case studies and anecdotal evidence, it then further assesses the effective implementation of service delivery through ICT innovations. The book is divided into four parts: The introductory part surveys the literature and presents background information on the Indian case; introduces the main themes on the relationships between ICT, socio-economic development and digital divides; and provides a summary and roadmap to the chapters of the book. Part II focuses on the impact of ICT on economic performance, including economic growth, productivity and trade. Part III examines the extent of the digital divides in India, including international, regional as well as inter-personal inequality. Finally, Part IV investigates the impact of ICT on governance, users’ well-being and social outcomes. Combining insights from analyses of a variety of socio-economic dimensions related to digitalisation, this book is relevant for a wide range of scholars and researchers across disciplines, as well as practitioners and policy-makers. While the book has a main focus on India, various contributions take an international cross-country comparative perspective, and the results have general relevance for digitalisation and development. On the whole, the main message of this book is that the impact of ICTs is contingent upon other assets, capabilities and institutional conditions. National policies should, therefore, not only promote digitalization as such but also ensure its co-evolution and complementarity with a variety of other country-specific factors.