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Non-tariff barriers and consumer prices: evidence from Brexit

Author

Listed:
  • Bakker, Jan
  • Datta, Nikhil
  • Davies, Richard
  • De Lyon, Joshua

Abstract

Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) are the main policy impediment to international trade, yet little is known about their pass-through to prices. This paper exploits the Brexit trade policy shock to quantify how NTBs affect consumer prices and welfare. The increase in NTBs raised prices by 6%, implying a pass-through of 50-80%. Based on a standard welfare framework, we show households lost £5.84bn, domestic producers gained £4.78bn, and £1.06bn was lost through deadweight loss. Due to differences in food expenditure shares, households in the lowest decile experience a 52% higher increase in the cost of living than households in the top decile.

Suggested Citation

  • Bakker, Jan & Datta, Nikhil & Davies, Richard & De Lyon, Joshua, 2022. "Non-tariff barriers and consumer prices: evidence from Brexit," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 118040, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:118040
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/118040/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Brexit; policy; shocks; wellbeing; welfare; cost of living; non-tariff barriers;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration
    • Q11 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Aggregate Supply and Demand Analysis; Prices

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