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Food Prices Spikes and Poor, Small Economies: What Role for Trade Policies

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  • Anderson, Kym
  • Thennakoon, Jayanthi

Abstract

Upward spikes in international food prices lead some food-surplus countries to raise export barriers and some food-deficit countries to lower their import restrictions on staple foods – and conversely when prices slump. When many countries so respond, their actions in aggregate exacerbate the international price spike, making adjustment even more difficult for other countries. This paper reviews conceptually, and then empirically for a sample of small and poor economies, the role of trade measures for achieving the social objective of assisting those hurt by sharp changes in food prices. The data are monthly for the period of 2006 to 2012, and annually since 1990. The paper concludes by exploring the efficacy of using trade policy instruments versus domestic measures to reduce the risk of welfare losses for vulnerable households, and stresses the importance for small and poor economies of supporting multilateral efforts to outlaw beggar-thy-neighbour policy responses to food price spikes.

Suggested Citation

  • Anderson, Kym & Thennakoon, Jayanthi, 2015. "Food Prices Spikes and Poor, Small Economies: What Role for Trade Policies," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 10(1), pages 1-16, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:afjare:200591
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.200591
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hans G. Jensen & Kym Anderson, 2017. "Grain Price Spikes and Beggar-thy-Neighbor Policy Responses: A Global Economywide Analysis," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 31(1), pages 158-175.
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    15. Kym Anderson & Signe Nelgen, 2012. "Agricultural trade distortions during the global financial crisis," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 28(2), pages 235-260, SUMMER.
    16. Anderson, Kym & Jha, Shikha & Nelgen, Signe & Strutt, Anna, 2012. "Reexamining Policies for Food Security," ADB Economics Working Paper Series 301, Asian Development Bank.
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    Cited by:

    1. Wenshou Yan, 2016. "Political Economy of Trade and Storage Policies Coordination, and the Role of Domestic Public Storage in the World Market," School of Economics and Public Policy Working Papers 2016-16, University of Adelaide, School of Economics and Public Policy.
    2. Wenshou Yan & Yan Cai & Faqin Lin & Dessie Tarko Ambaw, 2021. "The Impacts of Trade Restrictions on World Agricultural Price Volatility during the COVID‐19 Pandemic," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 29(6), pages 139-158, November.
    3. Sun, Ting-Ting & Su, Chi-Wei & Mirza, Nawazish & Umar, Muhammad, 2021. "How does trade policy uncertainty affect agriculture commodity prices?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).

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