Journal article

EU trade liberalisation, sectoral coalitions and development: insights from Moldova and Georgia


Authors listLangbein, Julia; Cenusa, Denis; Guruli, Irina

Publication year2024

Pages213-234

JournalJournal of European Integration

Volume number46

Issue number2

ISSN0703-6337

eISSN1477-2280

Open access statusHybrid

DOI Linkhttps://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2023.2270773

PublisherTaylor and Francis Group


Abstract
This paper contributes to the literature on EU trade policy by introducing insights from the political economy literature on development to the study of how EU trade liberalisation affects development in trading partners. Drawing on a comparison of EU trade liberalisation with Moldova and Georgia, we argue that the type of coalition between public and private actors in partner countries' top export sectors determines which firms benefit from better market access to the EU, as indicated by their ability to increase their exports. We show that liberalised trade with the EU tends to contribute to achieving the EU's declared objective of inclusive development if the presence of inclusionary development coalitions ensures that a broad range of firms is enabled to increase their export capacities through a mechanism that we call 'inclusive empowerment'. Otherwise, trade liberalisation contributes to exclusive development, benefitting big, mostly foreign firms, or, at worse, consolidating rent-seeking practices.



Citation Styles

Harvard Citation styleLangbein, J., Cenusa, D. and Guruli, I. (2024) EU trade liberalisation, sectoral coalitions and development: insights from Moldova and Georgia, Journal of European Integration, 46(2), pp. 213-234. https://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2023.2270773

APA Citation styleLangbein, J., Cenusa, D., & Guruli, I. (2024). EU trade liberalisation, sectoral coalitions and development: insights from Moldova and Georgia. Journal of European Integration. 46(2), 213-234. https://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2023.2270773


Last updated on 2025-10-06 at 11:59