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Agricultural Distortions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Trade and Welfare Indicators, 1961 to 2004

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  • Johanna L. Croser
  • Kym Anderson

Abstract

For decades, agricultural price and trade policies in Sub-Saharan Africa hampered farmers' contributions to economic growth and poverty reduction. This paper draws on a modification of so-called trade restrictiveness indexes to provide theoretically precise partial-equilibrium indicators of the trade and welfare effects of agricultural policy distortions to producer and consumer prices in 19 African countries since 1961. Annual time series estimates are provided not only by country but also, for the region, by commodity and by policy instrument. The findings reveal the considerable extent of policy reform over the past two decades, especially through reducing export taxation; but they also reveal that national policies continue to reduce trade and economic welfare much more in Sub-Saharan Africa than in Asia or Latin America. Copyright , Oxford University Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Johanna L. Croser & Kym Anderson, 2011. "Agricultural Distortions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Trade and Welfare Indicators, 1961 to 2004," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 25(2), pages 250-277, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:wbecrv:v:25:y:2011:i:2:p:250-277
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/wber/lhr012
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Shaohua Chen & Martin Ravallion, 2010. "The Developing World is Poorer than We Thought, But No Less Successful in the Fight Against Poverty," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 125(4), pages 1577-1625.
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    Cited by:

    1. Abate, Gashaw T. & Badiane, Ousmane, 2018. "Determinants of African agricultural exports," IFPRI book chapters, in: Africa agriculture trade monitor 2018, chapter 5, pages 85-109, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    2. repec:ajn:agdeve:2017:p:1-12 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Mwangi, Esther N., 2021. "Determinants of Agricultural Imports in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Gravity Model," African Journal of Economic Review, African Journal of Economic Review, vol. 9(2), April.
    4. Anderson, Kym & Bruckner, Markus, 2012. "Distortions to Agriculture and Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa," 2012 Annual Meeting, August 12-14, 2012, Seattle, Washington 124908, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Anderson, Kym & Brückner, Markus, 2011. "Price Distortions and Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa," CEPR Discussion Papers 8530, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    6. World Bank, 2011. "Missing Food : The Case of Postharvest Grain Losses in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Bank Publications - Reports 2824, The World Bank Group.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration
    • N57 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - Africa; Oceania
    • Q17 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agriculture in International Trade
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy

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