We test the hypothesis that product standards harmonized to de facto international
standards are less trade restrictive than ones that are not. To do this, we construct
an original database of European Union (EU) product standards and identify those
that are aligned with ISO standards (as a proxy for de facto international norms).
We use a sample-selection gravity model to examine the impact of EU standards
on African textiles and clothing exports. We find strong evidence that nonharmonized
standards significantly reduce African exports of these products. EU
standards which are harmonized to ISO standards are less trade restricting.
Moreover, results suggest that the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers
provisions encouraging alignment of national standards with de facto international
norms can be trade enhancing.