Tariff Structure, Trade Expansion, and Canadian Protectionism, 1870-1910

Eugene Beaulieu () and Jevan Cherniwchan

Canadian Journal of Economics, 2014, vol. 47, issue 1, 144-172

Abstract: Canada's trade policy at the end of the 19th century is commonly viewed as protectionist and extremely costly. In this paper, we employ the AndersonNeary Trade Restrictiveness Index to reexamine this view. Based on productlevel customs data, we show that Canadian trade policy between 1870 and 1910 was more restrictive than previously understood, but created smaller welfare losses than previously believed. These results are primarily driven by high tariffs on inelastic, noncompeting import goods. Although Canada's tariff structure becomes more restrictive over the period, our findings indicate it was not as protectionist or as costly as once thought.

JEL-codes: F1 N7 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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