All Outputs (4)

Growth, import dependence, and war (2017)
Journal Article
Bonfatti, R., & O'Rourke, K. H. (2018). Growth, import dependence, and war. Economic Journal, 128(614), 2222-2257. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecoj.12511

Theories of war predict that the leader may launch a war on a follower who is catching up, since the follower cannot commit to not use their increased power in the future. But it was Japan who attacked the West in 1941: both leaders and followers sta... Read More about Growth, import dependence, and war.

The sustainability of empire in a global perspective: the role of international trade patterns (2017)
Journal Article
Bonfatti, R. (2017). The sustainability of empire in a global perspective: the role of international trade patterns. Journal of International Economics, 108, 137-156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinteco.2017.06.002

I construct a model in which a colony trades raw materials for manufactures with the mother country and the rest of the world, and can rebel at the cost of some trade disruption with the mother country. Decolonisation is more likely when the rest of... Read More about The sustainability of empire in a global perspective: the role of international trade patterns.

From mine to coast: transport infrastructure and the direction of trade in developing countries (2017)
Journal Article
Bonfatti, R., & Poelhekke, S. (2017). From mine to coast: transport infrastructure and the direction of trade in developing countries. Journal of Development Economics, 127, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2017.03.004

Mine-related transport infrastructure typically connects mines directly to the coast, a pat- tern that is most clearly seen in Africa. We estimate the effect of such infrastructure on the pattern of bilateral trade flows. We find that a standard devi... Read More about From mine to coast: transport infrastructure and the direction of trade in developing countries.

An economic theory of foreign interventions and regime change (2017)
Journal Article
Bonfatti, R. (2017). An economic theory of foreign interventions and regime change. Canadian Journal of Economics / Revue Canadienne d'Économique, 50(1), 306-339. https://doi.org/10.1111/caje.12258

I construct a theory of foreign interventions in which a home country's main trade partner may influence the course of regime change. The foreign country intervenes in support of the group that draws the largest gains from trade, since such a group i... Read More about An economic theory of foreign interventions and regime change.