Protection for Sale Made Easy

11 Pages Posted: 25 Apr 2006

See all articles by Richard E. Baldwin

Richard E. Baldwin

University of Geneva - Graduate Institute of International Studies (HEI); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Frederic Robert-Nicoud

University of Geneva - Department of Political Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Date Written: January 2006

Abstract

Formal analysis of the political economy of trade policy was substantially redirected by the appearance of Gene Grossman and Elhanan Helpman's 1994 paper, 'Protection for Sale'. Before that article a fairly wide range of approaches were favoured by various authors on various issues, but afterwards, the vast majority of theoretical tracts on endogenous trade policy have used the Protection for Sale framework (PFS for short) as their main vehicle. The reason, of course, is that the framework is both respectable - because its microfoundations are distinctly firmer than were those of the earlier lobbying approaches - and it is very easy to work with. Despite the popularity of the PFS framework, it appears that no one has presented a simple diagram that illustrates how the PFS frameworks and explains why it is so easy. This short note aims to remedy that omission.

Keywords: Protection for sale, endogenous protection

JEL Classification: H32, P16

Suggested Citation

Baldwin, Richard E. and Robert-Nicoud, Frederic L., Protection for Sale Made Easy (January 2006). CEPR Discussion Paper No. 5452, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=898903

Richard E. Baldwin (Contact Author)

University of Geneva - Graduate Institute of International Studies (HEI) ( email )

PO Box 136
Geneva, CH-1211
Switzerland
+41 22 908 5933 (Phone)
+41 22 733 3049 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.hei.unige.ch/~baldwin/

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

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United Kingdom

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Frederic L. Robert-Nicoud

University of Geneva - Department of Political Economics ( email )

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Geneva 4, CH-1211
Switzerland
+41 22 379 8272 (Phone)
+41 22 379 8293 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.unige.ch/ses/ecopo/staff/robert/home.html

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

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