French Textile Specialisation in Long Run Perspective (1836-1938): Trade Policy as Industrial Policy

Stéphane Becuwe and Bertrand Blancheton ()

Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) from Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA)

Abstract: By using a new database covering French international trade between 1836 and 1938 this paper focuses on the country’s specialisation in textiles. It demonstrates, for the first time, the major influence of trade policy on French international trade in textiles during the first globalisation. Tariffs appear to be crucial determinants of specialisation measured by the Lafay Index. Tariffs are also major determinants of intra-industry trade in textiles. By analysing changes in tariffs between raw textiles and finished textiles and decorrelation between tariffs we show that an effective trade protection approach was applied by successive French governments in order to sustain the industrial competitiveness of textiles. Trade policy slowed down textile de-specialisation until WWI.

Keywords: textile; effective protection; specialisation; international trade; France (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F6 N23 N73 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his and nep-int
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http://cahiersdugretha.u-bordeaux.fr/2016/2016-17.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: French textile specialisation in long run perspective (1836–1938): trade policy as industrial policy (2020)
Working Paper: French textile specialisation in long run perspective (1836–1938): trade policy as industrial policy (2018)
Working Paper: French textile specialization in long run perspective (1836-1938): Trade policy as industrial policy (2016)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:grt:wpegrt:2016-17

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