IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/nbr/nberwo/25173.html

The French (Trade) Revolution of 1860: Intra-Industry Trade and Smooth Adjustment

Author

Listed:
  • Stéphane Becuwe
  • Bertrand Blancheton
  • Christopher M. Meissner

Abstract

The Cobden-Chevalier treaty of 1860 eliminated many French import prohibitions and lowered tariffs between France and Britain. Policy change was largely unexpected and unusually free from direct lobbying. A series of commercial treaties with other nations followed because of the use of the unconditional-MFN clause. Post-1860 in France, we find a significant rise in intra-industry trade. On average, rising imports did not prejudice exports. Liberalization allowed for an expansion of two-way trade in differentiated products. The findings are consistent with the “smooth adjustment” hypothesis. Anti-competitive, protectionist lobbying apparent from 1878 was not necessarily a backlash to enhanced international competition.

Suggested Citation

  • Stéphane Becuwe & Bertrand Blancheton & Christopher M. Meissner, 2018. "The French (Trade) Revolution of 1860: Intra-Industry Trade and Smooth Adjustment," NBER Working Papers 25173, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:25173
    Note: DAE ITI
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w25173.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paulo Bastos & Manuel Cabral, 2007. "The Dynamics of International Trade Patterns," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 143(3), pages 391-415, October.
    2. repec:bdi:workqs:qse_9 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Michael Huberman, 2008. "Ticket to trade: Belgian labour and globalization before 19141," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 61(2), pages 326-359, May.
    4. Irwin, Douglas A., 1993. "Free Trade and Protection in Nineteenth-Century Britain and France Revisited: A Comment on Nye," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 53(01), pages 146-152, March.
    5. David H. Autor & David Dorn & Gordon H. Hanson, 2013. "The China Syndrome: Local Labor Market Effects of Import Competition in the United States," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(6), pages 2121-2168, October.
    6. Robert C. Feenstra & Akira Sasahara, 2018. "The ‘China shock,’ exports and U.S. employment: A global input–output analysis," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(5), pages 1053-1083, November.
    7. Ingrid Henriksen & Markus Lampe & Paul Sharp, 2012. "The strange birth of liberal Denmark: Danish trade protection and the growth of the dairy industry since the mid‐nineteenth century," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 65(2), pages 770-788, May.
    8. Lampe, Markus, 2009. "Effects of Bilateralism and the MFN Clause on International Trade: Evidence for the Cobden-Chevalier Network, 1860-1875," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 69(4), pages 1012-1040, December.
    9. Eaton, Jonathan & Kortum, Samuel, 2001. "Technology, trade, and growth: A unified framework," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(4-6), pages 742-755, May.
    10. Haichao Fan & Yao Amber Li & Stephen R. Yeaple, 2015. "Trade Liberalization, Quality, and Export Prices," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 97(5), pages 1033-1051, December.
    11. Concepción Betrán & Michael Huberman, 2016. "International competition in the first wave of globalization: new evidence on the margins of trade," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 69(1), pages 258-287, February.
    12. David Greenaway & Robert Hine & Chris Milner & Robert Elliott, 1994. "Adjustment and the measurement of marginal intra-industry trade," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 130(2), pages 418-427, June.
    13. Tena-Junguito, Antonio & Lampe, Markus & Fernandes, Felipe Tâmega, 2012. "How Much Trade Liberalization Was There in the World Before and After Cobden-Chevalier?," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 72(3), pages 708-740, August.
    14. Dornbusch, Rudiger & Fischer, Stanley & Samuelson, Paul A, 1977. "Comparative Advantage, Trade, and Payments in a Ricardian Model with a Continuum of Goods," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 67(5), pages 823-839, December.
    15. Paul Sharp, 2006. "1846 and All That: The Rise and Fall of British Wheat Protection in the Nineteenth Century," Discussion Papers 06-14, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics.
    16. Stéphane Becuwe & Bertrand Blancheton & Christopher M Meissner, 2018. "Stages of diversification: France, 1836–1938," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 22(4), pages 430-461.
    17. Pinilla, Vicente & Serrano, Raúl, 2008. "The Agricultural and Food Trade in the First Globalization: Spanish Table Wine Exports 1871 to 1935 – A Case Study," Journal of Wine Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 3(2), pages 132-148, January.
    18. Peter K. Schott, 2004. "Across-Product Versus Within-Product Specialization in International Trade," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 119(2), pages 647-678.
    19. Federico, Giovanni & Vasta, Michelangelo, 2010. "Was industrialization an escape from the commodity lottery? Evidence from Italy, 1861-1939," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 228-243, April.
    20. Gabrielle Cadier, 1988. "Les conséquences du traité de 1860 sur le commerce franco-britannique," Histoire, économie & société, Programme National Persée, vol. 7(3), pages 355-380.
    21. Clive Hamilton & Paul Kniest, 1991. "Trade liberalisation, structural adjustment and intra-industry trade: A note," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 127(2), pages 356-367, June.
    22. Marius Brülhart & Robert Elliott, 2002. "Labour-market effects of intra-industry trade: Evidence for the United Kingdom," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 138(2), pages 207-228, June.
    23. Martin, Julien & Mejean, Isabelle, 2014. "Low-wage country competition and the quality content of high-wage country exports," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(1), pages 140-152.
    24. Coutain, Bryan, 2009. "The Unconditional Most-Favored-Nation Clause and the Maintenance of the Liberal Trade Regime in the Postwar 1870s," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 63(1), pages 139-175, January.
    25. Pahre,Robert, 2008. "Politics and Trade Cooperation in the Nineteenth Century," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521872744, Enero-Abr.
    26. repec:fth:bosecd:110 is not listed on IDEAS
    27. Jacks, David S. & Meissner, Christopher M. & Novy, Dennis, 2010. "Trade costs in the first wave of globalization," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 127-141, April.
    28. Markus Lampe, 2011. "Explaining nineteenth‐century bilateralism: economic and political determinants of the Cobden–Chevalier network," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 64(2), pages 644-668, May.
    29. Brown, John C., 1995. "Imperfect Competition and Anglo-German Trade Rivalry: Markets for Cotton Textiles before 1914," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 55(3), pages 494-527, September.
    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. Concepcion Betran, 2026. "Disaggregated bilateral trade and trade policy: Spain's reciprocal trade agreements and the Great Depression, 1928-1935," Documentos de Trabajo EH-Valencia (DT-EHV) 2603, Economic History group at the Universitat de Valencia.
    2. Timini, Jacopo, 2023. "Revisiting the ‘Cobden-Chevalier network’ trade and welfare effects," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    3. Wolf-Fabiann Hungerland & Nikolaus Wolf, 2022. "The panopticon of Germany’s foreign trade, 1880–1913: New facts on the first globalization [Economics and the modern economic historian]," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 26(4), pages 479-507.

    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. Jacopo Timini, 2018. "The drivers of Italian exports and product market entry: 1862-1913 (Updated August 2020)," Working Papers 1836, Banco de España, revised Aug 2020.
    2. Tena-Junguito, Antonio & Lampe, Markus & Fernandes, Felipe Tâmega, 2012. "How Much Trade Liberalization Was There in the World Before and After Cobden-Chevalier?," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 72(3), pages 708-740, August.
    3. Abdul Azhar & Robert Elliott, 2011. "A Measure of Trade Induced Adjustment in Volume and Quality Space," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 22(5), pages 955-968, November.
    4. Toshiki Kawashima, 2018. "A European Political-Economic Space That Embraced Japan: The International Context of the Conventional Tariff Network, CA. 1892-1914," CEH Discussion Papers 08, Centre for Economic History, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.
    5. Timini, Jacopo, 2023. "Revisiting the ‘Cobden-Chevalier network’ trade and welfare effects," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    6. Barry Eichengreen & Arnaud Mehl & Livia Chițu, 2021. "Mars or Mercury redux: The geopolitics of bilateral trade agreements," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(1), pages 21-44, January.
    7. Cagé, Julia & Gadenne, Lucie, 2018. "Tax revenues and the fiscal cost of trade liberalization, 1792–2006," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 1-24.
    8. Meissner, Christopher M., 2014. "Growth from Globalization? A View from the Very Long Run," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 8, pages 1033-1069, Elsevier.
    9. Rosario Crinò & Laura Ogliari, 2015. "Financial Frictions, Product Quality, and International Trade," DISCE - Working Papers del Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza def030, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimenti e Istituti di Scienze Economiche (DISCE).
    10. Stéphane Bécuwe & Bertrand Blancheton, 2020. "French textile specialisation in long run perspective (1836–1938): trade policy as industrial policy," Business History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 62(6), pages 891-914, August.
    11. Ha Thi Thanh Doan & Hongyong Zhang, 2024. "Technical barriers to trade, product quality and trade margins: firm-level evidence," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 160(3), pages 785-811, August.
    12. DeStefano, Timothy & Timmis, Jonathan, 2024. "Robots and export quality," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    13. Markus Lampe & Paul Sharp, 2009. "Something Rational in the State of Denmark? The Case of an Outsider in the Cobden-Chevalier Network 1860-1875," Discussion Papers 09-20, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics.
    14. Stéphane BECUWE & Bertrand BLANCHETON & Léo CHARLES, 2013. "First globalization: Why did France miss the boat?," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2013-17, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    15. Alexander, Patrick D. & Keay, Ian, 2019. "Responding to the First Era of Globalization: Canadian Trade Policy, 1870–1913," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 79(3), pages 826-861, September.
    16. Li, Guangzhong & Li, Jie & Zheng, Ying & Egger, Peter H., 2021. "Does property rights protection affect export quality? Evidence from a property law enactment," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 811-832.
    17. Ciani, Andrea & Mau, Karsten, 2023. "Delivery times in international competition: An empirical investigation," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    18. Flora Bellone & Cilem Selin Hazir & Toshiyuki Matsuura, 2022. "Adjusting to China competition: Evidence from Japanese plant‐product‐level data," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 732-763, August.
    19. Brian D. Varian, 2018. "Anglo†American trade costs during the first era of globalization: the contribution of a bilateral tariff series," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 71(1), pages 190-212, February.
    20. Kozo Kiyota & Sawako Maruyama & Mina Taniguchi, 2021. "The China syndrome: A cross‐country evidence," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(9), pages 2758-2792, September.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • N7 - Economic History - - Economic History: Transport, International and Domestic Trade, Energy, and Other Services

    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:nbr:nberwo:25173. 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: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/nberrus.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.