Estimating Protection in Services Sector: A PPML Analysis

The paper provides the tariff equivalent (AVEs) of the trade regulations in services from the gravity equation estimated at the sectoral level and access protection by comparing the actual trade values against a benchmark (free trader). The AVEs are calculated using the bilateral trade flows in 19 services sectors for 121 countries from the latest version of the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) database for 2014. We conclude that protection is heterogeneous across the sectors and is indirectly linked with the level of development. The countries with the least protected services are developed countries. On average, the most restrictive sector is the Gas sector with average AVE of 440 percent while the most open sector is Air transport with average AVE of 38 percent. Taking the average of AVEs in all sectors, Luxemburg, Singapore, Belgium, and Ireland are the most open economies while Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, and Tajikistan are more restrictive. As part of services is implicit in merchandise trade, Services value-added accounts for more than 60 percent of global GDP in 2020; liberalization can have spillover effects and welfare gains. Protection is primarily high in developing (emerging) countries; liberalization of the service sector is expected to increase their competitiveness and global trade share. Further, it can decrease the widening inequality amid the pandemic.