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GTAP University (GTAP-U): 2021 GTAP Preferential Trade Agreements (PTA) Course

2021 GTAP Preferential Trade Agreements (PTA) Course

"Applied Policy Analysis: Course on Preferential Trade Agreements"

General Information
Dates: May 10 - June 18, 2021
Location: This course is delivered fully online. There is no onsite component to this course.
Offered by: Center for Global Trade Analysis, Purdue University
Course Content
Objective
The GTAP PTA Course is designed to provide professionals and students with hands-on, applied training in the analysis of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) using the GTAP computable general equilibrium model. The objectives of the GTAP PTA course are to provide participants with an opportunity to develop their applied skills in the design of PTA experiments, the implementation of changes in tariff and non-tariff barriers, and the analysis of model results. The curriculum emphasizes an intuitive treatment of economic theory, provides structured experiences in manipulating and running the standard GTAP model within the RunGTAP software environment, and culminates in team-based research projects. At the end of the course, participants will have developed skills in the analysis of tariff and non-tariff liberalizations in a PTA.

During the online course, participants will:
  • consider the potential impacts of PTAs, including on GDP, trade, factors of production and sectoral production – connecting applied model results to trade theories;
  • operationalize the modelling of different aspects of PTAs within the GTAP CGE model, including tariff and non-tariff barriers;
  • learn about different approaches to modelling non-tariff measures and their implications for importing and exporting countries; and
  • learn how to interpret general equilibrium model results, including the impact of alternative closures.

Structure
The GTAP PTA Course is delivered fully online. All course materials are provided to participants and included in the cost of tuition. Learning takes place through active discussions among the participants and instructors, which are carried out as asynchronous, threaded conversations on the classroom bulletin board, and through virtual team work on collaborative projects.

Content Overview
  • Week 1 - "Getting Started"
    • Participants download and familiarize themselves with the course website, material, and software.
    • Participants are also encouraged to review materials on the GTAP welfare decomposition, software (RunGTAP), and various tools, such as subtotals, AnalyseGE and Altertax, in preparation for weeks 2 and 3.
  • Week 2 - "Analysis of FTAs and Tariffs"
    • Understand the welfare effects of trade taxes.
    • Learn about trade creation and diversion and their effects on welfare.
    • Learn to construct a PTA experiment in which tariffs are reduced and interpret the results using AnalyseGE.
    • Learn to implement and interpret the results of a closure swap.
  • Week 3 - "NTMs in GTAP"
    • Learn about price gap and gravity model approaches to estimating the AVEs of NTMs.
    • Learn about the alternative mechanisms used for depicting NTMs in the standard GTAP model.
    • Learn how to incorporate the AVE of an NTM into a model.
    • Learn how to use subtotals to decompose and compare results.
    • Compare alternative modelling mechanisms and their implications for assessing the effects of reductions in NTMs.
  • Weeks 4-5 - "Group Research Project"
    • As part of the research project participants will be provided a GTAP Data Base aggregation and will develop their own questions, shocks, closure and applications. Participants are encouraged to ask questions, try out various tools and think critically about their scenarios.
    • Participants are encouraged to bring their own ideas, as well as look at various papers to get a feel for what a good CGE analysis entails.
  • Week 6 - "Evaluations and Final Discussions"
    • Course evaluation

Time Commitment
Participants should expect to spend approximately 10-12 hours/week on this course.

What GTAP PTA "Graduates" Are Saying...

"An excellent course with a very dedicated instructor and staff."

"The course is very effective. Instructions and guidance are excellent as always."

"I liked reading on new ideas how to interpret and estimate NTMs and simulate their elimination. I am also very pleased with deep, detailed and comprehensive comments of course instructors."

"The research project is a very good idea - great to work in teams with the fellow participants"

"Thanks for a great course!"

"I want to express my gratitude to your entire team for the professional organization of the learning process and for providing an opportunity for an in-depth study of GTAP models"

"Bravo pour la qualité remarquable de cet enseignement."

Course Instructors
Terrie Walmsley Dr. Terrie Walmsley is an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California and Director of ImpactECON, a consulting firm specializes in applied trade global analysis using general equilibrium modeling. Terrie has undertaken numerous trade policy studies and developed several models, including incorporating supply chains, non-tariff measures, migration, dynamics and income inequality into both Gempack- and Gams-based models. Her clients have included more than a dozen international agencies such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), the European Commission, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), among others. Terrie previously served as the Director of the Center for Global Trade Analysis and Associate Professor at Purdue University. As Director of the Center for Global Trade Analysis, Terrie was responsible for overseeing the operations and strategic direction of the Center including: the release of versions six, seven, and eight of the GTAP Data Base; various graduate and non-graduate educational offerings; and numerous research projects and grants. In 2012 she published, as co-editor with Dr. Elena Ianchovichina from the World Bank, a book documenting the Dynamic GTAP model. In 2015, Terrie was inducted into the GTAP hall of fame for her contributions to the GTAP network and modeling.

Anna Strutt Dr. Anna Strutt is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. Anna’s primary area of research expertise is in international policy analysis, particularly quantitative analysis using global general equilibrium models. As well as publishing numerous academic papers, she has served as a consultant, resource person or expert advisor to a range of national and international organizations, including: the Asian Development Bank; Asian Productivity Organization; Asian Development Bank Institute; Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research; EU-VietNam Multilateral Trade Assistance Project; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Mekong Institute, Thailand; New Zealand Department of Labour; New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade; United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific; United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; and the World Bank. She is a GTAP Research Fellow, (2015-2018; 2019-2022) and a current member of International Steering Committee for Pacific Trade and Development (PAFTAD).
Course Graduates
16 individuals from 13 different countries completed the 2021 GTAP-PTA Course.


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Center for Global Trade Analysis
Department of Agricultural Economics
Purdue University
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