While the positive effect of economic integration on trade is commonly accepted, we still lack a proper understanding of the complex patterns behind this phenomenon. In particular, it is important to better understand how the structure of trade linkages evolves. To advance our knowledge about this matter, we test two specific predictions that originate from the recent literature on network effects in trade relations: (1) that the size of an initial trade network is positively correlated with building new trade linkages; (2) that the evolution of a trade network in a given country depends on the trade network of its trading partners. Using data related to intra-EU trade in dairy products between 2001 and 2015, we find support for both these predictions.

中文翻译：

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乳制品行业贸易动态：关于欧盟内部贸易联系演变的一些见解

虽然经济一体化对贸易的积极影响已被普遍接受，但我们仍缺乏对这一现象背后复杂模式的正确理解。尤其重要的是，更好地了解贸易联系的结构是如何演变的。为了加深我们对此事的了解，我们测试了源自最近关于贸易关系中网络效应的文献的两个具体预测：(1) 初始贸易网络的规模与建立新的贸易联系呈正相关；(2) 特定国家贸易网络的演变取决于其贸易伙伴的贸易网络​​。使用与 2001 年至 2015 年间欧盟内部乳制品贸易相关的数据，我们发现这两种预测都得到支持。