The Thesis explores two topics in International Economics. The consumer expenditure switching effects of exchange rates and the analysis of determinants of protectionist policies. Essays one and two deal with the effect of exchange rate changes in the context of Internet markets. The aim is to answer the following questions: do consumers take advantage of international arbitrage opportunities? Is the lack of immediateness in internet transactions a friction to cross-border e-commerce? The questions are tackled with the use of two purposefully designed databases in international postal exchanges. Chapters three and four focus on protectionist policies and try to answer the following two questions: Are countries restoring old levels of tariff protection with non-tariff measures? Was the rise in non-tariff protection during the Great Recession caused by trade policy retaliation? The questions are dealt with the use of two new databases on non-tariff measures.