IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ces/ceswps/_1760.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Steepest Ascent Tariff Reforms

Author

Listed:
  • Pascalis Raimondos
  • Alan D. Woodland

Abstract

This paper introduces the concept of a steepest ascent tariff reform for a small open economy. By construction, it is locally optimal in that it yields the highest gain in utility of any feasible tariff reform vector of the same length. Accordingly, it provides a convenient benchmark for the evaluation of the welfare effectiveness of other well known tariff reform rules, as e.g. the proportional and the concertina rules. We develop the properties of this tariff reform, characterize the sources of the potential welfare gains from tariff reform, use it to establish conditions under which some existing reforms are locally optimal, provide geometric illustrations and compare welfare effectiveness of reforms using numerical examples. Moreover, being a general concept, we apply it to the issue of market access and examine its implications. Overall, the paper’s contribution lies in presenting a theoretical concept where the focus is upon the size of welfare gains accruing from tariff reforms rather than simply with the direction of welfare effects that has been the concern of the literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Pascalis Raimondos & Alan D. Woodland, 2006. "Steepest Ascent Tariff Reforms," CESifo Working Paper Series 1760, CESifo.
  • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_1760
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cesifo.org/DocDL/cesifo1_wp1760.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hiau LooiKee & Alessandro Nicita & Marcelo Olarreaga, 2009. "Estimating Trade Restrictiveness Indices," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 119(534), pages 172-199, January.
    2. Neary, J Peter, 1995. "Trade Liberalisation and Shadow Prices in the Presence of Tariffs and Quotas," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 36(3), pages 531-554, August.
    3. Bovenberg, A Lans & Goulder, Lawrence H, 1996. "Optimal Environmental Taxation in the Presence of Other Taxes: General-Equilibrium Analyses," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(4), pages 985-1000, September.
    4. Anderson, James E & Neary, J Peter, 1992. "Trade Reform with Quotas, Partial Rent Retention, and Tariffs," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 60(1), pages 57-76, January.
    5. Tatsuo Hatta, 1977. "A Theory of Piecemeal Policy Recommendations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 44(1), pages 1-21.
    6. Anderson, James E. & Neary, J. Peter, 2007. "Welfare versus market access: The implications of tariff structure for tariff reform," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 187-205, March.
    7. W. E. Diewert & A. H. Turunen-Red & A. D. Woodland, 1989. "Productivity- and Pareto-Improving Changes in Taxes and Tariffs," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 56(2), pages 199-215.
    8. Tirole, J. & Guesnerie, R., 1981. "Tax reform from the gradient projection viewpoint," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 275-293, June.
    9. Diewert, W E & Turunen-Red, A H & Woodland, A D, 1991. "Tariff Reform in a Small Open Multi-household Economy with Domestic Distortions and Nontraded Goods," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 32(4), pages 937-957, November.
    10. Rod Falvey & Udo Kreickemeier, 2017. "Tariff Reforms with Rigid Wages," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: International Trade and Labor Markets Welfare, Inequality and Unemployment, chapter 4, pages 95-116, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    11. Hatta, Tatsuo, 1977. "A Recommendation for a Better Tariff Structure," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 45(8), pages 1859-1869, November.
    12. Abe, Kenzo, 1992. "Tariff Reform in a Small Open Economy with Public Production," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 33(1), pages 209-222, February.
    13. Fukushima, Takashi, 1979. "Tariff Structure, Nontraded Goods and Theory of Piecemeal Policy Recommendations," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 20(2), pages 427-435, June.
    14. Weymark, John A., 1981. "Undominated directions of tax reform," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 343-369, December.
    15. Ju, Jiandong & Krishna, Kala, 2000. "Welfare and market access effects of piecemeal tariff reform," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 305-316, August.
    16. Rolf Fare & Daniel Primont, 2006. "Directional duality theory Directional duality theory," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 29(1), pages 239-247, September.
    17. Bovenberg, A.L. & Goulder, L.H., 1996. "Optimal environmental taxation in the presence of other taxes : General equilibrium analyses," Other publications TiSEM 5d4b7517-c5c8-4ef6-ab76-3, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    18. Rod Falvey, 1994. "Revenue enhancing tariff reform," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 130(1), pages 175-190, March.
    19. James E. Anderson & J. Peter Neary, 2005. "Measuring the Restrictiveness of International Trade Policy," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262012200, April.
    20. Lloyd, P. J., 1974. "A more general theory of price distortions in open economies," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 4(4), pages 365-386, November.
    21. Turunen-Red, Arja H & Woodland, Alan D, 1991. "Strict Pareto-Improving Multilateral Reforms of Tariffs," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 59(4), pages 1127-1152, July.
    22. Diewert, W. E., 1978. "Optimal tax perturbations," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 139-177, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Heijdra, Ben J. & Ligthart, Jenny E., 2007. "Fiscal policy, monopolistic competition, and finite lives," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 325-359, January.
    2. Raimondos, Pascalis & Woodland, Alan, 2018. "Reciprocity in trade negotiations and welfare," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 134-142.
    3. Henrik Barslund Fosse & Pascalis Raimondos‐Møller, 2012. "Reducing Tariffs According to WTO Accession Rules: The Case of Vietnam," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(2), pages 331-341, May.
    4. Raimondos-Møller, Pascalis & Woodland, Alan D., 2015. "Market access and welfare: Is there a conflict?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 163-166.
    5. Kreickemeier, Udo & Raimondos-Møller, Pascalis, 2008. "Tari[ff]-tax reforms and market access," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 85-91, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kreickemeier, Udo & Raimondos-Møller, Pascalis, 2008. "Tari[ff]-tax reforms and market access," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 85-91, August.
    2. Jean‐Paul Chavas & Zohra Bouamra Mechemache, 2006. "The Economic Efficiency of Policy Reform and Partial Market Liberalization under Transaction Costs," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(3), pages 161-191, July.
    3. J. Peter Neary, 1998. "Pitfalls in the Theory of International Trade Policy: Concertina Reforms of Tariffs, and Subsidies to High‐Technology Industries," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 100(1), pages 187-206, March.
    4. Anderson, James E. & Neary, J. Peter, 2007. "Welfare versus market access: The implications of tariff structure for tariff reform," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 187-205, March.
    5. James E. Anderson & Arja Turunen-Red, 1999. "Trade Reform with a Government Budget Constraint," International Economic Association Series, in: John Piggott & Alan Woodland (ed.), International Trade Policy and the Pacific Rim, chapter 9, pages 217-244, Palgrave Macmillan.
    6. James E. Anderson & J. Peter Neary, 2004. "Welfare vs. Market Access: The Implications of Tariff Structure for Tariff Reform," NBER Working Papers 10730, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Anderson, James E. & Neary, J. Peter, 2016. "Sufficient statistics for tariff reform when revenue matters," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 150-159.
    8. Akihito Asano & Michiru Sakane, 2023. "The welfare effects of partial tariff reduction in Japan," Working Papers e177, Tokyo Center for Economic Research.
    9. Rod Falvey, 1994. "Revenue enhancing tariff reform," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 130(1), pages 175-190, March.
    10. Theodore Palivos & Nikos Tsakiris, 2011. "Trade and Tax Reforms in a Cash‐in‐Advance Economy," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 77(4), pages 1014-1032, April.
    11. Raimondos, Pascalis & Woodland, Alan, 2018. "Reciprocity in trade negotiations and welfare," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 134-142.
    12. J. Peter Neary, 2007. "Simultaneous Reform of Tariffs and Quotas," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(1), pages 37-44, February.
    13. Alan Woodland & Arja Turunen-Red, 2000. "The Redistribution of Efficiency Gains: Transfers or Tariffs?," Econometric Society World Congress 2000 Contributed Papers 0987, Econometric Society.
    14. Kreickemeier, Udo & Raimondos-Møller, Pascalis, 2006. "Concertina Reforms with International Capital Mobility," Working Papers 05-2006, Copenhagen Business School, Department of Economics.
    15. Turunen-Red, Arja H. & Woodland, Alan D., 2000. "Multilateral policy reforms and quantity restrictions on trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 153-168, October.
    16. Raimondos-Moller, Pascalis & Woodland, Alan D., 2006. "Non-preferential trading clubs," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 79-91, January.
    17. Rod Falvey & Udo Kreickemeier, 2017. "Tariff Reforms with Rigid Wages," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: International Trade and Labor Markets Welfare, Inequality and Unemployment, chapter 4, pages 95-116, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    18. James E. Anderson & J. Peter Neary, 1996. "A New Approach to Evaluating Trade Policy," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 63(1), pages 107-125.
    19. Anderson, James E & Bannister, Geoffrey J & Neary, J Peter, 1995. "Domestic Distortions and International Trade," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 36(1), pages 139-157, February.
    20. James E. Anderson & J. Peter Neary, 2013. "Revenue Tariff Reform," NBER Working Papers 19752, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    steepest ascent tariff reforms; piecemeal tariff policy; welfare; market access; small open economy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_1760. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Klaus Wohlrabe (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cesifde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.