The Impact of Trade Liberalization in the Presence of Political Distortions

Sebastian Jävervall and Roza Khoban

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2025, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-41

Abstract: Political distortions are prevalent in many developing countries, implying substantial productivity losses. This paper investigates the impact of trade liberalization on political distortions in India. First, using variation in political turnover, we identify that politicians distort resources in favor of politically connected firms. Second, we show that reduced tariffs on input goods significantly decrease the distortionary effect of political connections, as trade reduces firms' dependence on politicians for sourcing inputs. The results suggest a new margin for gains from trade through reduced politically driven misallocation, implying that trade can address a widespread source of productivity losses.

JEL-codes: D22 D72 F13 F14 O14 O19 O24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1257/app.20230629

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