Welfare vs. Market Access: The Implications of Tariff Structure for Tariff Reform

James Anderson and J. Peter Neary

No 10730, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We show that the effects of tariff changes on welfare and import volume can be fully characterized by their effects on the generalized mean and variance of the tariff distribution. Using these tools, we derive new results for welfare- and market-access-improving tariff changes, which imply two 'cones of liberalization' in price space. Because welfare is negatively but import volume positively related to the generalized variance, the cones do not intersect, which poses a dilemma for trade policy reform. Finally, we show that generalized and trade-weighted moments are mutually proportional when the trade expenditure function is CES.

JEL-codes: F13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2004-09
Note: ITI
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Published as Anderson, James E. & Neary, J. Peter, 2007. "Welfare versus market access: The implications of tariff structure for tariff reform," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 187-205, March.

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