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C E N T R E   D' E T U D E S   P R O S P E C   T I V E SE T   D' I N F O R M A T I O N   S   I N T E R N A T I O N A L E S
 
 
 C O N T E N  T S:
 
 
 
What is Wrong with the Euro/Dollar  Rate?
 The strength of the euro has recently  raised concern about economic recovery in the euro area as well as  longer-run fears of enhanced industrial relocation abroad. Still, the  level of the euro against the dollar at the beginning of 2004 ($1.27 for  €1) is not far above its level in the early days of 1999 ($1.16). It is  even closer to the level that was anticipated at that time, for the euro  over a 2-year horizon ($1.21), according to the London Consensus Forecast  survey.
 
 More strikingly, the value of the euro at  the beginning of 2004 lies right in the middle of the majority evaluations  of the fundamental equilibrium exchange rate which provide a wide range of  $1.15 to $1.45, justified by the huge external deficits of the United  States. Also, the evolution of the euro/dollar exchange rate in real  terms, since January 1999, is broadly consistent with that of the real  interest rate differential between the euro area and the United States,  which has switched from negative to positive  values.
 
 So, what is wrong with a strong euro? Of  course, there is the competitiveness problem. Purchasing power parity and  labour cost equalisation would suggest the euro's dollar rate should lie  between $1 and $1.15. The present deviation from PPP would perhaps have  been welcome in 2000, when European demand was surging. This is no longer  the case today. And the extensive literature on PPP warns that deviations  from PPP can be long-lived: the half life of any deviation being typically  4 to 5 years.
 
 Admittedly, the present situation  is nothing but the consequence of excess spending in the United States  since the early 1990s, which has benefited the euro area. The problem is  that other countries in the world have also benefited from US demand,  without suffering today from such a huge appreciation of their currencies.  The Canadian dollar and, more recently, the yen, have appreciated, but to  a lesser extent than the euro. The Mexican peso has even depreciated  against the dollar, while Asian currencies, aside from the yen, have  remained roughly stable against the US currency. Still, current accounts  in the latter countries have turned to large surpluses in recent years,  along with capital inflows. This could have justified an appreciation of  their currencies, which would have alleviated the burden on the euro. As  it is, back-of-an-envelope calculations made at the CEPII show that the  lack of adjustment by Asian currencies could push the equilibrium  euro/dollar exchange rate close to $2 to the  euro.
 
 The huge increase of Asian foreign exchange  reserves in recent years has been well documented. Assuming two thirds of  these reserves to be denominated in dollars, the contribution of the build  up in reserves in dollars is roughly equivalent to two thirds of the US  current account deficit, between September 2002 and September 2003. Such  huge amounts once again illustrate that Asian countries have gone back  
de facto
 to pegs on the US dollar. However moving away from this  strategy would mean stopping the accumulation of reserves in dollars,  which could lead the dollar to plunge against other key currencies. Hence,  it is difficult to argue that a revaluation of Asian currencies (and  especially of the yuan) would solve the problem of the euro, although it  is also difficult to argue that such massive reserve accumulations will  never come to an end.
 
 We are left with the  conclusion that what is wrong is the policy mix in the US and in the euro  area. Curbing US demand (through higher interest rates or lower budget  deficits) appears the only way out of US current account deficits, whereas  euro area growth would perhaps need a looser monetary policy, with  accompanying reforms on the supply side to keep inflation at low levels.  All in all, however, the industrial countries must be careful not to curb  growth in large emerging countries which, in the long term, will take the  lead in world growth.
 
 
 
 
The Current Accounts of Accession Countries: What Can be Said  about their Sustainability?
 The twelve  Central and Eastern European Countries which will either join the European  Union in 2004 or are scheduled to do so as early as 2007 often have high  current account deficits. The aim of this research project is to provide  tentative estimates of sustainable levels of current accounts and to  compare these with observed data. To this end, different techniques are  employed. Although external imbalances are quite marked and likely to  widen as economic integration and catching up proceed, the CEECs' growth  prospects seem to warrant their overall sustainability. However, they  should be carefully monitored, and fiscal policy can play a role in  avoiding excessive deficits. The positive outlook about sustainability is  confirmed by the fact that external deficits are to a large extent  financed by FDI flows: a crucial task for economic policy will be to  ensure that this form of investment keeps flowing in. Lastly, the size and  the prospects of the deficits should be taken into account when deciding  on the adoption of the euro. Flexible exchange rates should be maintained  as long as convergence has (among other things) reduced the size of the  deficit.
 
Assessing the Impact of Trade Policy at the Regional Level in  Europe: the DREAM Model
 For a very large  economic area such as the EU, the impact of trade policies may vary widely  across regions. However, this issue has not been well analysed so far. In  order to fill this gap and to provide an accurate, regional-level  assessment of trade policies, the CEPII has built an original tool  nicknamed DREAM (Deep Regional Economic Analysis Model). DREAM is a  bottom-up, CGE model which describes separately each of the 119 
NUTS-1 EU regions, and their relationships with the rest  of the world. Up to 21 sectors are considered. DREAM is used in a  two-tiered approach, making it possible to take advantage of an EU-wide  assessment, in which all preferential agreements are taken into account.  The model has already been described and applied in work carried out for  the European Commission. It will soon be documented in a CEPII Working  Paper, and applied to assess how various aspects of the Doha Round may  impact on Europe's regions.
 
 
 
 
Productivity  Comparisons
 While studying convergence, the  CEPII has created a database which allows productivity levels in France to  be compared with several countries. In 1994, this tool permitted the  Centre to carry out a comparison between France and Germany (French and German Productivity Levels in Manufacturing: A  Comparison Based on the Industry-of-Origin Method). The study was  updated in 2001, with eastern Germany being included (The French-German Productivity Comparison Revisited: Ten  Years after the German Reunification
).
 
 It has also been possible to study the relative performance of  Mediterranean industries, within the framework of another study conducted  in 2001 (
La productivité des industries  méditerranéennes
).
 
 The data covers twenty  branches, involving six countries that are compared to France (Egypt,  Germany, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Turkey). The data runs from 1980 to  1997, or to 2001 in some cases.
 
 The database is available online (in French, and soon in  English).
 
Integrating MAcMaps into  GTAP6
 Following their joint project to buid a  new database which includes preferences and covers the largest set of  importers and exporters at the most detailed level, the ITC (Geneva) and  the CEPII have launched MAcMaps (Market Access Maps), in collaboration  with the UNCTAD and the WTO. The CEPII is a member of the 
GTAP  consortium, and the last pre-release of the GTAP database includes the  MAcMaps GTAP dataset.
 
 MAcMaps is a bilateral and  disaggregated measure of market access which has been constructed to  integrate the major instruments of protection (
ad valorem
 and  specific duties, prohibitions, tariff quotas, anti-dumping duties, norms)  at the most detailed level (tariff lines), as well as all preferential  regimes.
 
  
 
  
 
The Economic Implications of the Doha Development Agenda for  Latin America and the Caribbean
 The  second CEPII-IADB conference (the 6-7 October 2003) on the "economic  implications of the Doha Development Agenda for Latin America and the  Caribbean" was very successful both in bringing together expert trade  economists, representatives of civil society and policy-makers. It was  also very interesting to hear first-hand accounts by some very high-level  negotiators in charge of the Cancun summit for the reasons of its failure  and the what efforts should be made to try to overcome the North-South  divide on trade issues
 
 Among the papers  presented, participants had the occasion to get a state-of-the-art view of  some very tricky issues such as: the measurement of protection by tariff  and non-tariff barriers; the relative gains to be excepted by Latin  American countries from a trans-Atlantic agreement; and the trade  liberalisation in agriculture.
 
 The traditional  issues on industrial tariffs, the phasing out of textile quotas, and  agriculture were also discussed.
 
 Given the  quality of the papers presented, the organisers have decided to publish a  book with most of these texts.
 
 
 
The Risks of Deflation and How to Fight Them  Off
 On 17th November 2003, an  international conference was held on the problems raised by deflationary  threats to the world economy. Two round-table discussions debated first  the sources and mechanisms of deflation, and second the relevant policies  to ward off deflationary pressures.
 
 Drawing on  the lessons of historical episodes and on the experience of Japan, the  first round-table stressed that a deflationary equilibrium can occur and  become pervasive as a protracted outcome of debt downsizing compounded by  low inflation.
 
 The second roundtable was  policy-oriented. A few conclusions were reached on controversial issues.  Monetary policy should give more prominence to financial imbalances. It  should adopt an inflation target which is not too low (no less than 2%).  Should the deflation threat materialise, the central bank should massively  inject liquidity into the economy at large, not only in the banking  system. This could be done by buying any financial assets whose prices are  on the verge of collapsing.
 
 
 
The 
CEPII Business Club's Series of  Meetings
 The CEPII Business Club has brought  to an end the series of meetings focussing on the economic consequences of  demographic changes and has launched a new series examining industrial  relocation.
 
 The subjects discussed in the first  series tried to cover demographic issues as a whole, ranging form  forecasts to the links between demographic ageing and capital markets,  including also questions about the financing of pensions, insurance  dependency, changes in consumption and savings structures, as well as the  problems of managing human resources. The last meetings were:
  
Demographic ageing and human resource management: 20 October 
2003
The consequences of demographic ageing and savings: 23 September  2003 
 
   The relocation abroad of economic activities in  the industrialised countries, in particular to the benefit of emerging  countries, along with rising unemployment worry many people from very  different backgrounds: trade unionists, politicians from the left as well  as from the right, journalists etc.
 For this  reason, the CEPII Business Club decided, in 2003, to organise a series of  seminars on different aspects of the relocation phenomenon. Meetings held  so far were on:
  
Industrial Re-Location and Taxation: 3 February 2004
Foreign Direct Investment and Development: 28 January 2004
Can Europe's Textile Industry Be Saved?: 13 January 2004
Relocation, unemployment and wages: 12 November 2003
Relocation and world governance: 28 October 2003
Relocation and China: 30 September 2003 
 
This series of seminars will continue throughout 2004 (see the  
Forthcoming
  section in this Newsletter).  
 
 
The Asia Network
 The CEPII was  represented in the Selection Committee of the 1st Congress of the Asia  Network which brought together French humanities specialists of Asia, the  24-25 September 2003.
 
 The decision to create an  Asia Network was taken by research directors in June 2001 , in order to  bring together researchers working on a geographic zone stretching from  Afghanistan to the Pacific and to strengthen inter-disciplinary research  (including history, geography, economics, sociology, urban studies etc.)  as well as different cultural areas.
 
 The network  brings together 1500 researchers and teachers, including 200 recent PhD  graduates and doctoral students, in France and abroad. It should help make  France's Asia research community more visible to government, potential  sources of finance and to foreign colleagues who are also often organised  in similar networks.
 
 The first congress of the  "Asia Network" included 46 round-tables and 230 communications.  Participants included nearly all the major research institutions.
 
Trade Policy and Global Poverty
 On  7 October 2003, William R. Cline presented his forthcoming book at the  CEPII, entitled 
Trade Policy and Global Poverty
. William Cline is  senior fellow, both at the Institute for International Economics and the  Center for Global Development in Washington, DC, and he is a recognised  specialist of trade policies and international  finance.
 
 His book examines the impact of trade  policy on global poverty, with an emphasis on how changes in policies in  the United States and other industrial countries could help reduce poverty  in developing countries.
 
 The meeting was held  within the framework of the "Trade policy" Scientific Group (GIS  "Politique commerciale"), formed jointly by the CEPII, INRA (the French  National Institute for Agronomic Research) and two directorates of the  French Ministry of Finance. The group aims at fostering high-level  research and scientific exchanges devoted to the analysis of trade  policies. Its activities include regular seminars, information sharing and  collaboration among members, in their effort to assess trade policies and  to contribute to the international debate on this topic.
 
 
 
 
Trade Linkages and Exchange Rates in Asia: the Role of  China
No2003-21, December
 China's entry into the WTO, coupled with its  trade surplus and growing forex reserves, could end in a relaxation of the  Chinese exchange-rate peg, which has remained stable against the dollar  since 1994. This paper explores the consequences of such a move, in the  light of intra-Asian trade integration, using a gravity equation.  Simulations show that changes in the value and volatility of the yuan  impact on other Asian countries exports, and could therefore give grounds  to monetary co-operation within Asia.
 
Economic Implications of Trade Liberalization Under the Doha  RoundNo2003-20, December
 The paper explores the impact of multilateral  liberalisation, with emphasis on the EU and developing countries. A  realistic "baseline" scenario is developed that takes into account events  such as the entry of China into the WTO and the enlargement of the EU,  allowing for an examination of the effects of further trade liberalisation  in the Doha Round. A global, applied general equilibrium model is used and  scenarios are formulated which include agriculture, manufactures, the  liberalisation of services and trade facilitation.
 Joseph Francois, Hans van Meijl & Frank van  Tongeren
 
Methodological Tools for SIA
Report of the CEPII  Workshop held on 7-8 November 2002 in Brussels
 No2003-19 December
 The principal aim of this exploratory workshop,  organised with the support of the European Commission, Global Change and  Ecosystems Programme of the Directorate General for Research, was to  strengthen methodologies for integrating the social, economic and  environmental dimensions of sustainable development. It also aimed at  developing modelling tools for policy-makers involved in Sustainability  Impact Assessments (SIA).
 
Order Flows, Delta Hedging and Exchange Rate  Dynamics
No2003-18 December
 This paper proposes a microstructure model of the  FX options and spot markets. It is shown that depending on the correlation  between spot and option order flows, the volatility of the exchange rate  can either be amplified or reduced.
 
Tax Competition and Foreign Direct  InvestmentNo2003-17  December
 Using a panel of  bilateral FDI flows for 11 OECD countries over 1984-2000, the paper shows  that, although agglomeration-related factors are strong determinants of  FDI, tax differentials also play a significant role in understanding  foreign location decisions. The reaction of FDI inflows to tax  differentials is shown to be non-linear.
 
Trade and Technological Transfers: a Comparative Study of  Turkey, India and China
No2003-16  November
 The study examines  the way in which these three countries have followed markedly different  strategies for opening up to international trade, and shows how their  participation in the international division of labour has far-reaching  consequences on their imports of high-technology.
 
The Empirics of Agglomeration and  TradeNo2003-15 October
 The paper surveys the literature on empirical  studies in the "New Economic Geography" (NEG). It draws out five testable  hypotheses which relate to agglomeration effects in explaining the spatial  concentration of economic activity. The paper concludes with an overall  assessment of the empirical support for the NEG.
 
Notional Defined Contribution: a Comparison of the French  and German Point SystemsNo2003-14  September
 This paper compares the  French and German pension schemes by points, to Notional Defined  Contributions (NDC) pension schemes. The research shows that such schemes  are not immune to shocks, and that problems of inter-generational fairness  may arise due to the disparity between incomes and life expectancies.
 Florence Legros
 
How Different is Eastern Europe? Structure and Determinants  of Location Choices by French Firms in Eastern and Western  Europe
No2003-13 September
 The paper studies the determinants of choosing  locations by French multinational firms in Eastern and Western Europe. The  study shows that there might be important differences between the two  regions, notably as agglomeration effects are less strong in the CEECs and  the quality of institutions varies in different host countries.
 
Market Access Liberalisation in the Doha Round: Scenarios  and Assessment
No2003-12  September
 The modalities of  negotiation on market access for agricultural and non-agricultural  products are an important item of the Doha Development Agenda. The  dispersion of tariffs remains very large, leading to sizeable economic  distortions. In particular, tariff peaks are numerous and highly  protective.
 
On the Adequacy of Monetary Arrangements in Sub-Saharan  AfricaNo2003-11 August
 We examine the economic rationale for monetary  union(s) in sub-Saharan Africa through the use of cluster analysis on a  sample of 17 countries. The variables used stem from the theory of optimum  currency areas and from the fear-of-floating literature. It is found that  the existing CFA franc zone cannot be viewed as an optimum currency area.
 
The Impact of EU Enlargement on Member States: a CGE  ApproachNo2003-10 August
 This paper seeks to analyse European Union  enlargement, using a Computable General Equilibrium Model to assess the  impact on the size and efficiency of firms and the varieties of products  offered to consumers, to quantify the macroeconomic effects in terms of  welfare and factor prices (especially wages) and to gauge which sectors  will be most heavily affected. It is estimated that enlargement will have  far greater (sometimes negative) consequences for the accession countries  than for existing EU members.
 
 
 
India in the World Economy: Traditional Specialisation and  Technology Niches
No2003-09  August
 Despite reforms undertaken  since the beginning of the 1990's, India remains one the most closed of  the Asian countries. Nevertheless, the development of new sectors, with  high human capital intensities, is less restrained by domestic constraints  and is allowing India to make a breakthrough in dynamic niche markets.
 The 
CEPII's Working Papers are available, free on-line, in  PDF format.
 Nos 94-95,  2nd-3rd quarters 2003
 Special Issue  
-
 
Free Trade Agreements: Latin America and  the Caribbean
 Coordinated by Robert  Devlin and Michel Fouquin
 
The  Effects of Trade Liberalisation
 
No 93, 1st  quarter 2003 Special Issue - 
Macroeconomic Issues and European  Integration
 Coordinated by Antoine  Bouët
 
Presentation
Antoine Bouët
 Les PECO devant la tentation de  l'euro
 Michel Aglietta, Camille Baulant & Sandra  Moatti
 L'entrée des PECO dans la zone euro : quels effets sur le  bien-être ?
 Patrick Artus
 Les déficits courants des PECO :  quelles implications pour leur entrée dans l'Union européenne et la zone  euro ?
 Nicolas Doisy & Karine Hervé
 Implications des  chocs communs et spécifiques pour le fédéralisme budgétaire  européen
 Alexis Garatti
 Intégration européenne et  diversification des risques macroéconomiques
 Pierre-Guillaume  Méon & Laurent Weill
 Publisher: La  Documentation Française, price: €18.50 per issue, €65.50 annual  subscription in Europe and €68.50 outside Europe.
 
 
A Pause in Russia's Reform Process?
No 228, November 2003
 Twenty years after the beginnings of its  metamorphosis, Russia's society remains deeply divided. Personal freedoms  have been largely acquired but the conversion to a market economy has led  to the pauperisation of a large part of the population as well as a  widespread feeling that public order has collapsed. Vladimir Putin's  regime is seeking a synthesis which reconciles liberalism with an  attachment, still lively, to certain Soviet values. On the domestic  political scene, this synthesis involves re-establishing public order  while guaranteeing freedoms. But in the face of problems with setting up  an efficient public administration, Vladimir Putin has concentrated above  all on political order, attacking the counter-veiling powers of regional  bosses, the Parliament and Russia's big-time capitalists. Arbitrary  tactics have been employed against the "oligarchs", which are damaging to  the freedom of expression and the investment climate. This constitutes a  step backwards for the spirit of freedom which has characterised Russia's  reforms since Gorbachev. Does this herald a pause in the reform process?
 
Should the Yuan be Revalued?No227,  October 2003
 China's foreign  exchange policy is often invoked to explain the widening of the US trade  deficit. Nevertheless, if prices (and hence the exchange rate) do indeed  play a role in Chinese competitiveness, the expected impact from the  possible rise in the yuan should not be over-estimated. First, China's  competitiveness stems mainly from structural factors. Next, China's share  in US trade remains relatively small. However, an appreciation of the yuan  could be followed by an appreciation of all Asian currencies, which would  then obviously have a greater impact on the American trade balance. The  present caution of the Chinese authorities may be explained by fears about  an appreciation worsening the distribution of resources and weakening  local industry. Multinational firms do indeed benefit from very low unit  labour costs in China. But local firms could be handicapped by a rise in  the yuan, as they have far lower productivity.
 
The WTO: in the Trough of the Trade  RoundNo226,  September 2003
 The meeting at  Cancun saw the North-South divide take front stage in the multilateral  trade negotiations. The proliferation of alliances by developing countries  has given way to a clearer division. On the one hand, the trade and growth  potential of the G22 countries allows this group to begin real  "bargaining" with the countries of the North and become a key actor in the  negotiations, alongside the European Union and the United States. On the  other hand, the least developed countries are likely to be the overall  losers within a general liberalisation process, given their trade  preferences with Northern countries and trade specialisations. The Cancun  meeting ended in failure as it did not take sufficiently into account the  interests of the former group or provide an adequate response to the  latter. This failure clearly shows up the need to reform the way in which  negotiations are conducted.
 
The Happy DollarNo225, July  August 2003
 The euro's  appreciation since February 2002 has already penalised European export  industries. Furthermore, this trend is likely to extend into the medium  term, due to the US current account deficit, which could rise above 5% of  GDP in 2003 and 2004. Should international investors feel that such a  ratio is not sustainable, then downward pressure on the dollar will  increase. The euro's rise then risks being all the stronger as America's  other trade partners may oppose any appreciation in their currencies. A  strong rise in the euro will test the euro zone's cohesion: losses in  competitiveness in the euro zone will be felt unequally, as exposure to  the dollar varies across countries and sectors.
 
 La Lettre du CEPII is published in French. Publisher: La  Documentation Française, price: €48.40 Outside France. The English version  of this publication is available on the CEPII's web, after a delay for  translation at: 
https://www.cepii.fr/CEPII/en/welcome.asp
 
 
Métamorphose de la Russie
Georges Sokoloff
 Fayard, 2003
 Neither "thaw" nor  "détente"! Russia cannot be opened to the modern world by continuing to  imagine that it stands apart or above the common lot of other nations: it  must be resolved to make the country organically compatible with the  West.
 To widespread astonishment, a Soviet sovereign  actually listened to the iconoclast message of the intellectuals of his  generation. Twenty years ago, Gorbachev accepted to question the socialist  fortress. But as soon as he tried to reform the system, it collapsed.  After a series of disruptions and dislocations, today's Russia is  unrecognisable. In terms of its power, territory, population, economy,  government, society and diplomacy etc. the USSR is no more than a memory.  But is it a memory which is sufficiently strong to nourish criticism by  ordinary Russians today?
 This book seeks not to be  polemical. It strives, by being as attentive as possible to the persons  involved and to circumstances, to recount the Odyssey undertaken by  Russia's leaders and endured by its people in becoming more like  us.
 
 L'économie chinoise
 Françoise Lemoine
 Repères, La  Découverte, 2003
 China is on the  path of rapid economic catch-up with the developed countries. Its  irresistible ascension in international trade is turning out to be one of  the major traits of the world economy, in the years to come. The  transition to a market economy, the opening up to international trade and  to foreign capital are being accompanied by profound domestic, structural  changes: China is pulling out of ageing industries and obsolescent  production processes and technologies, while its growth is being  facilitated by new generations of industry and technology. Its economy is  advancing at varying speeds, and the future of China's modernisation  depends on the ability of dynamic regions, industries and modern  technologies to pull forward the rest of the economy. The weaknesses of  the Chinese economy stem from its social tensions and domestic  disequilibria, which the speed of growth itself has created.
 
 Les  retraites
 Florence Legros & Jean-Louis Guérin
 Editions Le Cavalier Bleu, 2003
 "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's…" One of the  first analyses of the subject was conducted in 1982 by Denis Kessler and  Dominique Strauss-Kahn: 
L'épargne et la retraite - l'avenir des  retraites préfinancées
 (Savings and pensions: the future of funded  pensions). But it was not until the 1990s that the debate in France took  off, with the "livre blanc des assureurs" (White Paper on Insurers). It  reiterated Michel Rocard's White Paper which had already highlighted the  future problems facing France's Pay-As-You-Go pension system, in other  words a system in which today's pensions are financed by contributions  paid by today's employees. In the White Paper, the insurers stressed the  importance of preserving fairness between generations, by meeting pension  commitments without passing on debt to future generations. Indeed,  demographers have been warning of pensions crises for a long time: low  birth rates combined with higher life expectancy will expand the top of  the population pyramid. In other words, there will be less young people to  pay for the pensions of ever greater numbers of senior  citizens.
 
 Les taux d'intérêt
 Agnès Bénassy-Quéré, Laurence Boone & Virginie  Coudert
 Repères, La Découverte,  2003
 Interest rates are among the  macroeconomic variables which most concern economists in companies, banks  and administrations. This is mainly because of their links to the  profitability of investments, the price of financial assets and exchange  rates.
 However, a number of different types of  interest rates must be taken into account: nominal or real rates, short or  long term rates, which differ depending on the categories of borrowers  (public or private, large companies, SMEs or households), on the channel  used (direct or intermediated financing), and on the currency of the debt.
 This book aims to describe the linkages between  these various interest rates and how they transmit economic  policy.
 
 Relations commerciales France/Etats-Unis
 Bruno  Durieux & Patrick Messerlin
 Editions  d'Organisation Eyrolles, 2003
 This book sheds light on several aspects of  American behaviour and relations between Americans and their French  counterparts, as seen by two French, foreign trade advisors. The book is  co-edited by Bruno Durieux, Chairman of the CEPII Business Club and  President of the National Committee of Advisors on French Foreign Trade.  The book helps better understand why the United States, a diminishing  giant to some, continues to exercise such powers of attraction on the rest  of the world.
 
 
 
 
 
   Florence Legros returned to the University of  Paris IX (Dauphine) after her secondment with the CEPII, at the start of  December 2003. She has also been named as Chair of the Forecasting  Commission of the French Association of Institutional  Investors.
 Agnès Bénassy-Quéré will be the new deputy director for  the CEPII starting from 1st March 2004.
 
 Daniel Mirza has joined the CEPII as a research  associate working on international trade and especially on the trade in  services. He is a senior lecturer at the University of Rennes I and a  research associate of the GEP, University of Nottingham (United  Kingdom).
 
 Two new advisors have joined the CEPII  this year: 
Georges Sokoloff, Emeritus Professor and former  scientific advisor to the CEPII, and Jean-Pierre Patat, Honorary Director  General of the 
Banque de France
 and former Director General of the  Bank's Studies and International Relations  Department.
 
 Catherine Bac has been recruited by the CEPII to work on  the Economic Policy and International Finance research  programme.
 
 Sophie Lapize de Salée, a secretary  with the French Planning Agency, joined the CEPII on secondment, in the  summer of 2003.
 
 Sophie Cottat was recruted to the  CEPII's documentation centre, in August  2003.
 
 Céline Martinet has replaced Sylvia Plion  as the secretary of the CEPII Business  Club.
 
 Maria Frolova is temporarily replacing  Chantal Bartholin as the Secretary General of the CEPII Business Club. Ms  Fralova has a Master's degree in public relations from the University of  Saint Petersburg and a diploma from Paris' Institute of Political  Studies.
 
 The CEPII Abroad
 
 ean Chateauhas presented the INGENUE model and its  stochastic simulations in Washington (at the IMF) and in  Seattle.
 
 The CEPII has joined the Steering  Committee of the 
Euro  Latin Study Network on Integration and Trade (ELSNIT).
 
 
 Industrial Relocation in  France
 2 March 
2004
 CEPII Business Club Meeting on  Industrial Relocation
 
 Asia 2004, A World  Driving-Force
 4 March 2004
 CEPII - CFCE
 
 Divergences in Productivity Between Europe and the United  States: Realities and Possible Causes
 21-22  March 2004
 CEPII - Banque de France
 
 European Budget after 2006
 6 April 2004
 CEPII Business Club Round Table  with 
Michel Barnier, European  Commissioner
 
 Are European Costs Still  Competitive?
 7 April 2004
 CEPII Business Club Meeting on Industrial  Relocation
 
 OECD Forum
 12-13 May  2004
 With the CEPII as knowledge  partner
 
 Research in International Economics and  Finance
 7-8 June 2004
 The deadline for the submission of papers is  15 March
 Conference organized by the 
CATT-Pau,  the CEPII, the 
ENPC-CERAS and the 
GREQAM
 
 Integration and Technological Change: Challenges for  European Regions
 11-13 June  2004
 The deadline for the  submission of papers is 12 March
 Conference organized by the 
CEPR with the support of the 
European  Commission, the CEPII, the 
CERAS, the 
INRA and 
Paris Jourdan
 
 EcoMod 2004: International Conference on Policy  Modeling
 30 June-2nd July  2004
 The deadline for the  submission of papers is 1 May
 co-organized with the CEPII
 
 Second  Annual Conference of the 
Euro-Latin Study Network on Integration and  Trade
 29-30 October 2004
 The deadline for the submission of papers is 31 March
 Network coordinated  by the 
CREI, the CEPII, the 
Kiel Institute  for World Economics, and the 
RSCAS
 
 
 
 
The contents of this Newsletter were finalised 1 March  2004
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