EU trade: deviations in multi-country input-output tables and their implications for trade policy

Pablo Piñero; Zornitsa Kutlina-Dimitrova; José Manuel Rueda-Cantuche; Pablo Piñero; Zornitsa Kutlina-Dimitrova; José Manuel Rueda-Cantuche

doi:10.3934/NAR.2025023

National Accounting Review

2025, Volume 7, Issue 4: 546-573. doi: 10.3934/NAR.2025023

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Research article

EU trade: deviations in multi-country input-output tables and their implications for trade policy

1.
Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Seville, Spain
2.
Directorate-General for Trade, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium

Received: 14 July 2025 Revised: 21 September 2025 Accepted: 28 October 2025 Published: 21 November 2025
JEL Codes: F13, F14, F17, C67

Over the past two decades, research institutions around the world have undertaken numerous projects to develop global multi-country input-output (MCIO) databases. This effort has resulted in the creation of several notable databases, including WIOD, Exiobase, GTAP-MRIO, OECD-ICIO, FIGARO, and Eora. These databases have allowed international organizations and countries to conduct comprehensive assessments of socioeconomic, environmental, and trade impacts. The trade-in-value -added indicators, in particular, have been widely used and have undergone detailed evaluations to compare the results across different databases. However, there has been limited examination of the compilation processes and underlying data that contribute to variations in indicators and trade values, and their implications for policy decisions. In this paper, we explored the significant discrepancies in trade policy-relevant indicators depending on the MCIO used, and delved into the reasons behind these deviations.
- multi-country input-output,
- trade in value added,
- global value chain indicators,
- trade policy
Citation: Pablo Piñero, Zornitsa Kutlina-Dimitrova, José Manuel Rueda-Cantuche. EU trade: deviations in multi-country input-output tables and their implications for trade policy[J]. National Accounting Review, 2025, 7(4): 546-573. doi: 10.3934/NAR.2025023

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Abstract

Over the past two decades, research institutions around the world have undertaken numerous projects to develop global multi-country input-output (MCIO) databases. This effort has resulted in the creation of several notable databases, including WIOD, Exiobase, GTAP-MRIO, OECD-ICIO, FIGARO, and Eora. These databases have allowed international organizations and countries to conduct comprehensive assessments of socioeconomic, environmental, and trade impacts. The trade-in-value -added indicators, in particular, have been widely used and have undergone detailed evaluations to compare the results across different databases. However, there has been limited examination of the compilation processes and underlying data that contribute to variations in indicators and trade values, and their implications for policy decisions. In this paper, we explored the significant discrepancies in trade policy-relevant indicators depending on the MCIO used, and delved into the reasons behind these deviations.

References

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