The Impact of Trade Liberalisation on Enterprises in Small
Backward Economies: The Case of Chad and Gabon
Giorgio Barba Navaretti
University of Milano and Centro Studi Luca d’Agliano
Riccardo Faini
Italian Treasury, Centro Studi Luca d’Agliano, IZA, and CEPR
Bernard Gauthier
HEC Montréal
March 2003
JEL: 012, 014, F13
KEYWORDS: trade liberalization; enterprise development; output, productivity and
export performance
This article is based on a larger study commissioned by the World Bank and the Union
Douanière et Économique de l’Afrique Centrale (UDEAC). Michel Sylvain and Loredana Magri
provided excellent research assistance. Under the supervision of the Centre d’Études en
Administration Internationale (CETAI) at HEC Montréal, Lise Céré, Danic Ostiguy and Michel
Sylvain conducted field interviews. The Centro Studi Luca d’Agliano funded part of the research
assistance and logistics for the Italian team. The authors are grateful to Eliana La Ferrara for
insightful comments.