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Strategic Trade Policy, the "Committed" versus "Non-Committed" Government, and R&D Spillovers

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  • Kresimir Zigic

Abstract

We compare the social welfare generated by a domestic government in the two types of policy setups: a "commitment" regime in which the government sets its policy instrument before the strategic choice is made by the domestic firm and a "non-commitment" regime where the policy variable is set after the strategic choice is made by the firm. The government conducts strategic trade policy in the form of optimal tariffs under which domestic and foreign firms compete in quantities in an imperfectly competitive domestic market where cost reducing R&D spillovers take place from the domestic to the foreign firm. We show that the "non-committed" government achieves generally a higher level of welfare and levies a lower optimal tariff than the "committed" government. Moreover, when the domestic government is allowed to use an R&D subsidy, that may or may not be accompanied by the optimal tariff, the resulting optimal subsidies are always positive.

Suggested Citation

  • Kresimir Zigic, 2001. "Strategic Trade Policy, the "Committed" versus "Non-Committed" Government, and R&D Spillovers," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp177, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
  • Handle: RePEc:cer:papers:wp177
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    government commitment; optimal tariffs and subsides; technological spillovers; first–best versus second–best strategic policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives

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