تجارت و فقر: چگونه اصلاحات تجاری، فقر را کاهش می دهد؟[Trade and Poverty: How trade reforms reduce poverty?]

There is a broad consensus that sustained poverty reduction requires economic growth, and an open trade regime provides the foundation for sustained growth. A poor person is one who has insufficient access to economic resources to obtain adequate goods for meeting basic needs. In the long run, open economies perform better than closed ones, and relatively open trade policies play a significant role in development. The main point of contention among economists concerns the relationship between greater openness and economic growth. The wider the scope of trade, the greater the output, and the more markets and economic factors are affected. A common concern is that trade liberalization reduces government revenues, since trade taxes are lowered or eliminated. This, in turn, may negatively affect the state’s capacity to finance poverty-alleviation programs. However, lowering high tariffs reduces incentives for smuggling and corruption, which, in turn, can expand the volume of formal trade and increase government revenues. Reducing anti-export measures can influence the rate of economic growth, and if such growth occurs in export activities in which the poor are engaged, it can have a direct impact on poverty reduction. An open trade regime also facilitates the import of technology and processing techniques that benefit the poor. To mitigate the short-term negative effects of trade liberalization on the poor, a social safety net is necessary to provide compensation.