Essays in international trade and energy.

Summary In Chapter 1, I examine the efficiency results of mergers among European energy producers. I calculate eco-efficiency using data envelopment analysis and the Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index. I find that domestic horizontal mergers, which are carefully regulated, have no impact. Cross-border horizontal mergers hurt eco-efficiency in the short run but boost it two years after completion. Vertical mergers hurt eco-efficiency. I present policy suggestions regarding merger regulation. Chapter 2 is a joint work with Julian Hinz. We investigate the effects of the self-imposed Russian embargo on food imports from Western countries. We build a Ricardian model with sectoral linkages, trade in intermediate goods and sectoral heterogeneity in production. Calibrating the model with real data allows us to simulate the outcomes of the embargo in terms of welfare and price changes. We further quantify the impact on consumer prices in Russia using the double-difference method. Chapter 3 is based on a paper co-authored with Cristina Herghelegiu. We investigate the use of international trade terms (Incoterms). These are the predefined patterns of cost and risk allocation between buyers and sellers. We rely on a very detailed data set on Russian exports during 2012-2015. We find that large firms are more likely to assume liabilities. Large buyers take on more responsibility regardless of the size of the seller, while large sellers do so only when their partner is small. It's more likely that the risks and costs are on the buyers in intermediate and capital goods transactions.