Conditional Policies in General Equilibrium

39 Pages Posted: 21 Apr 2005

See all articles by Kala Krishna

Kala Krishna

Pennsylvania State University - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: March 2005

Abstract

Obtaining lower generalized system of preferences (GSP) tariffs requires meeting costly Rules of Origin (ROOs). Growing coffee in the shade is more costly, but yields a price premium. This paper analyzes the effects of such restrictions in a general equilibrium setting and shows that such policies may have unanticipated effects. It is shown that in a world with capital mobility, the GSP could result in capital outflows rather than inflows and consumer preferences for shade grown coffee end up hurting labor in developing countries. Even small subsidies that are contingent on the use of domestic intermediates can result in specialization in the targeted good. Value added contingent policies can easily lead to multiple equilibria despite the absence of externalities or market imperfections.

Keywords: General Equilibrium, Trade Policy, Factor Price Frontier, Free Trade Areas, Rules of Origin

JEL Classification: F13, F15, F16

Suggested Citation

Krishna, Kala, Conditional Policies in General Equilibrium (March 2005). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=705142 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.705142

Kala Krishna (Contact Author)

Pennsylvania State University - Department of Economics ( email )

523 Kern Graduate Building
University Park, PA 16802-3306
United States
814-865-1106 (Phone)
814-863-4775 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
51
Abstract Views
874
Rank
509,542
PlumX Metrics