Gravity Models for Latin American Economies

Abstract

This research seeks to estimate a gravity model that allows to characterize trade between Latin American economies. An indexed triple gravity model is proposed, which considers fixed effects of time, exporting country and importing country. The gravity equations have been widely used for the prediction of international trade flows, but many of the models used for these purposes have problems of poor specification from an econometric point of view. Thus, the proposed model seeks to include simultaneously new variables or variables that have been consider independently, as well as, to provide a correct economic inference of the Latin American regional trade flows.