The Mercantilist Index of Trade Policy.

Working paper

This paper develops and characterizes an index of trade policy restrictiveness defined as the uniform tariff equivalent which maintains the same volume of trade as a given set of tariffs, quota, and domestic taxes and subsidies. We relate this volume-equivalent index to the Trade Restrictiveness Index welfare-equivalent measure changes in the generalised mean and variance of the tariff schedule. Applications to international cross-section and time-series comparisons of trade policy show that the new index frequently gives a very different picture than do standard indexes.

Authors: Anderson, J; Neary, J

• Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research
• Host title: NBER Working Papers
• Volume: 6870
• Series: NBER Working Papers
• Publication date: 1999-01-01
• Paper number: 6870
• Language: English