Welfare effects of preferential trade agreements under optimal tariffs

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Welfare effects of preferential trade agreements under optimal tariffs

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Saggi, Kamal
Yildiz, Halis Murat

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Abstract

In a three country model with endogenous tariffs, this paper evaluates and contrasts the welfare effects of free trade agreements (FTAs) and customs unions (CUs) — the two most commonly occurring preferential trade agreements (PTAs). We show that if the external tariff of a PTA is not too high, it benefits both members and non-members. We also highlight the implications of a key (but commonly ignored) distinction between the two types of PTAs: while an FTA member can form an another (independent) FTA with an existing non-member, a CU member cannot. Under a pair of independent bilateral FTAs, the common member’s welfare is higher than that under free trade. Furthermore, if the common member is relatively efficient compared to the other two countries, such a ‘hub and spoke’ pattern of FTAs can yield higher global welfare than free trade. By contrast, such an outcome is never possible under a CU.

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Paper provided by University Library of Munich, Germany in its series MPRA Paper with number 17562.

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Date of creation: 15 Dec 2005
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Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:17562

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

Bagwell, Kyle & Staiger, Robert W., 1997. "Multilateral tariff cooperation during the formation of customs unions," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(1-2), pages 91-123, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Other versions:
- Kyle Bagwell & Robert W. Staiger, 1993. "Multilateral Tariff Cooperation during the Formation of Customs Unions," NBER Working Papers 4543, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Other versions:
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Other versions:
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Deltas, George & Desmet, Klaus & Facchini, Giovanni, 2006. "Hub-and-Spoke Free Trade Areas," CEPR Discussion Papers 5960, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)

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