About GTAP: Global Trade Analysis Project
GTAP (Global Trade Analysis Project) is a global network of researchers and policy makers conducting quantitative analysis of international policy issues. GTAP's goal is to improve the quality of quantitative analysis of global economic issues within an economy-wide framework.A Common Language for Global Economic Analysis
Since its inception in 1993, GTAP has rapidly become a common "language" for many of those conducting global economic analysis. For example, in the 1995 conference aimed at evaluating the WTO's Uruguay Round Agreement, The Uruguay Round and the Developing Countries (Martin and Winters, 1995), three of the five quantitative analyses were based on GTAP data:
- Harrison, Rutherford and Tarr, 1996
- Hertel, Martin, Yanagishima, and Dimaranan, 1996
- Francois, McDonald and Nordstrom, 1996
More recently, the WTO and the World Bank co-sponsored two conferences on the so-called Millennium Round of Multilateral Trade talks in Geneva. Here, virtually all of the quantitative, global economic analyses were based on the GTAP framework:
- Anderson, Erwidodo, and Ingco, 1999
- Hertel, and Martin 1999
- Anderson, 1999
- Josling and Rae, 1999
- Francois, J., 1999
- Elbehri, A., M. Ingco, T.W. Hertel, K. Pearson, 1999
- Hertel, T.W., K. Anderson, J. F. Francois, and W. Martin, 1999
- van Meijl, H., F. van Tongeren, P. Veenendaal, 1999
GTAP-based analysis has also assumed considerable prominence in recent meetings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Here, deliberations over policies to limit greenhouse gas emissions have generated demand for GTAP-based assessments of issues ranging from the spill-over effects of domestic policies internationally, to leakage of carbon due to relocation of industry, the effects of mitigation policies on competitiveness and the impact of introducing a new international market for tradable emissions permits. At the June 1999 Expert Meeting of Working Group III in The Hague, four of the key research groups drew on the GTAP Data Base for their analysis of the economic implications of carbon taxes:
- Babiker and Jacoby, 1999
- Bollen, Manders and Timmer, 1999
- Bernstein, Montgomery, and Rutherford 1999
- McKibbin, Ross, Shackelton and Wilcoxen, 1999
GTAP Products and Resources
GTAP offers a variety of products, including: data, models, and resources for multi-region, applied general equilibrium analysis of global economic issues. It also organizes courses and conferences and undertakes research projects.
As of 2016 the GTAP Center has begun publishing the Journal of Global Economic Analysis, an online only journal devoted to global economics analysis. Listen to the Purdue Agricultural Economics Podcast episode 36, where Tom Hertel talks about its impact.
In order to keep abreast of recent developments in the project, interested individuals are encouraged to subscribe to the GTAP-L mailing list.
A Truly Global Project
GTAP is a truly global project, as can be seen by exploring the GTAP Network. Core support and advice for the Project comes from a Consortium of international and national agencies from around the world.
In addition to the GTAP Research Fellows, there are several hundred Short Course Alumni and Data Base Subscribers, representing numerous countries in the GTAP Network.
A list of research applications using the GTAP Data Base is maintained on this website, along with a list of frequently asked questions.
