a b s t r a c tIn this paper, we construct a new index measuring the strength of intellectual property (IP) protection for plant varieties in 69 countries over the period 1961-2011. We examine the statistical properties of the index and compare it with other indicators of IP protection. We conclude that the index provides a reasonable synthetic assessment of the relative strength of IP protection in plant varieties across countries. In addition, we study the main determinants of the evolution of the index and examine the patterns of correlation between the index and agricultural production.

The global process of strengthening and harmonization of intellectual property rights (IPRs) systems has been intensied in the last twenty ve years by the signing of trade agreements (TAs) that include chapters with intellectual property (IP) provisions and other non-trade-related issues. This paper provides a rst exploration of whether and how the signing of TAs with IP chapters in uences bilateral trade ows for a panel of 122 countries and the period 1995-2013. We address methodological issues related to the assessment of the eect of TAs on bilateral trade. We use matching econometrics to evaluate the treatment of TAs with and without IP chapters. In addition, we estimate the eects of TAs on bilateral trade in a more dynamic fashion using a panel data approach based on the gravity model. We perform our analysis for trade in low-and high-IP intensive products. We found that both types of TAs increase bilateral trade. However, TAs with no IPRs chapters have a stronger positive eect on trade, while TAs with IP chapters have a stronger eect if we include lags to consider that they might need a longer implementation time. We also found that the eects depend on the development level of countries and, to a lesser extent, on the IP intensity of products. We found a clear positive eect for developed countries, but we do not observe gains for developing countries in all sectors and to all destinations derived from TAs with IP chapters. This raises the question of whether trade gains can compensate the eort related with IP reforms. El proceso global de fortalecimiento y armonización de los sistemas de derechos de propiedad intelectual (DPI) se ha intensificado en los últimos veinticinco años mediante la firma de acuerdos comerciales (ACs) que incluyen capítulos con disposiciones de propiedad intelectual (PI) y otras cuestiones no relacionadas con el comercio. Este documento proporciona una primera exploración sobre si la firma de ACs con capítulos de DPI influyen, y de qué manera, en los flujos comerciales bilaterales para un panel de 122 países y el período 1995-2013. Abordamos cuestiones metodológicas relacionadas con la evaluación del efecto de los ACs en el comercio bilateral. Utilizamos econometría de emparejamiento de datos para evaluar el tratamiento de los ACs con y sin capítulos de DPI. Además, estimamos los efectos de los ACs en el comercio bilateral de una manera dinámica utilizando un modelo gravitacional con el panel de datos. Realizamos nuestro análisis para el comercio de productos de alta y baja intensidad en el uso de DPI. Encontramos que ambos tipos de ACs aumentan el comercio bilateral. Sin embargo, los ACs sin capítulos de DPI tienen un efecto positivo más fuerte en el comercio, mientras que los ACs con capítulos de DPI sólo tienen un efecto más fuerte si incluimos rezagos para considerar que podrían necesitar un tiempo de implementación más largo. También encontramos que los efectos dependen del nivel de desarrollo de los países y, en menor medida, de flujos comerciales de productos de diferente inten...

Since the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, governments have been implementing containment measures aimed at mitigating the spread of the virus, including restrictions to human mobility. The ability to adapt to the pandemic and respond to containment measures can be bound by socioeconomic conditions, which are heterogeneous in large urban areas of low-income and middle-income countries. In this paper, we analyse mobility changes following the implementation of containment measures in Bogotá, Colombia. We characterise the mobility network before and during the pandemic and analyse its evolution and changes between January and July 2020. We observe a general reduction in mobility trends, but the overall connectivity between different areas of the city remains after the lockdown, reflecting the resilience of the mobility network. Then, we estimate a gravity model to assess the effect of socioeconomic conditions on mobility flows. We find that the responses to lockdown policies depend on the socioeconomic conditions of the population. Before the pandemic, the population with better socioeconomic conditions shows higher mobility flows. Since the lockdown, mobility presents a general decrease, but the population with worse socioeconomic conditions shows lower reductions in mobility flows. We conclude by deriving policy implications.