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Endogenous Trade Policy with Heterogeneous Firms

Author

Listed:
  • Jennifer Abel-Koch

    (Nottingham Centre for Research on Globalisation and Economic Policy, University of Nottingham and Gutenberg School of Economics and Management, University of Mainz)

Abstract
The present paper modifies the \Protection for Sale" model of Grossman and Helpman (1994) to account for heterogeneous firms lobbying for non-tariff barriers to trade, such as technical standards or certification requirements. They raise the fixed costs of market access for both domestic producers and foreign exporters, force the least efficient firms to exit and shift profits to the most efficient firms. Non-tariff barriers to trade shift profits both within and across countries, but not necessarily to the country in which firms are more productive on average. They decrease social welfare as they reduce competition and product variety, but may nevertheless be implemented if only the largest domestic firms lobby the government. When variable trade costs fall or foreign firms become relatively more competitive, the potential for profit shifting and hence non-tariff barriers to trade decrease. The paper also analyzes the case of international trade negotiations, and it addresses the issue of endogenous lobby formation.

Suggested Citation

  • Jennifer Abel-Koch, 2013. "Endogenous Trade Policy with Heterogeneous Firms," Working Papers 1306, Gutenberg School of Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, revised 01 Aug 2013.
    • Handle: RePEc:jgu:wpaper:1306
    as

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    File URL: https://download.uni-mainz.de/RePEc/pdf/Discussion_Paper_1306.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Povilas Lastauskas, 2013. "Europe’s Revolving Doors: Import Competition and Endogenous Firm Entry InstitutionS," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1360, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    2. Cosimo Beverelli & Mauro Boffa & Alexander Keck, 2019. "Trade policy substitution: theory and evidence," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 155(4), pages 755-783, November.
    3. Kammerer, Hannes, 2013. "Lobbying for Subsidies with Heterogeneous Firms," VfS Annual Conference 2013 (Duesseldorf): Competition Policy and Regulation in a Global Economic Order 79767, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    4. Valentina Raimondi & Chiara Falco & Daniele Curzi & Alessandro Olper, 2020. "Trade effects of geographical indication policy: The EU case," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(2), pages 330-356, June.
    5. Olper, Alessandro, 2017. "The political economy of trade-related regulatory policy: environment and global value chain," Bio-based and Applied Economics Journal, Italian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AIEAA), vol. 5(3), February.
    6. Curzi, Daniele & Schuster, Monica & Maertens, Miet & Olper, Alessandro, 2020. "Standards, trade margins and product quality: Firm-level evidence from Peru," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    7. David R. DeRemer, 2015. "Opportunities for Cooperation in Removing Prohibitive Trade Barriers," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 1533, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    8. Shingal, Anirudh & Ehrich, Malte, 2024. "The EU’s pesticides MRLs harmonization: effect on trade, prices and quality," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    9. Dela-Dem Doe Fiankor & Daniele Curzi & Alessandro Olper, 2021. "Trade, price and quality upgrading effects of agri-food standards [Endogenous Trade Policy with Heterogeneous Firms]," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 48(4), pages 835-877.
    10. Beverelli, Cosimo & Boffa, Mauro & Keck, Alexander, 2014. "Trade policy substitution: Theory and evidence from Specific Trade Concerns," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2014-18, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    11. Iain Osgood, 2016. "Differentiated Products, Divided Industries: Firm Preferences over Trade Liberalization," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 161-180, July.
    12. David De Remer, 2013. "Domestic Policy Coordination in Imperfectly Competitive Markets," Working Papers ECARES ECARES 2013-46, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Endogenous trade policy; non-tariff barriers to trade; heterogeneous firms; lobbying;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • D70 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - General

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