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Tariff Liberalization and Trade Specialization in India

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  • Ferrarini, Benno
  • Scaramozzino, Pasquale

Abstract

Since the early 1990s, India has embarked on economic reforms that have progressively opened up the country to international trade. This paper analyzes the effects of reform on India’s trading structure from 1990 to 2006. It computes comparative advantage indicators on the basis of disaggregated trade flow data, and assesses the effects of trade liberalization on the evolution of India’s pattern of trade specialization. From dynamic panel regression analysis, evidence is found that those industries where import tariffs have been reduced the most have experienced the highest increase in specialization. Moreover, the analysis shows that trade liberalization has helped India improve its comparative advantage in industries with medium- to high-technology content, as well as in some of the industries enjoying the most robust growth in global demand.

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  • Ferrarini, Benno & Scaramozzino, Pasquale, 2009. "Tariff Liberalization and Trade Specialization in India," Papers 87, World Trade Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:wti:papers:87
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Arvind Panagariya, 2004. "India in the 1980s and 1990s: A Triumph of Reforms:," International Trade 0403005, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Marc J. Melitz, 2003. "The Impact of Trade on Intra-Industry Reallocations and Aggregate Industry Productivity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 71(6), pages 1695-1725, November.
    3. Marc J. Melitz & Gianmarco I. P. Ottaviano, 2008. "Market Size, Trade, and Productivity," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 75(1), pages 295-316.
    4. Ricardo Hausmann & Jason Hwang & Dani Rodrik, 2007. "What you export matters," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 1-25, March.
    5. Dixit, Avinash K & Stiglitz, Joseph E, 1977. "Monopolistic Competition and Optimum Product Diversity," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 67(3), pages 297-308, June.
    6. Andrew B. Bernard & Stephen J. Redding & Peter K. Schott, 2007. "Comparative Advantage and Heterogeneous Firms," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 74(1), pages 31-66.
    7. World Bank, 2008. "World Development Indicators 2008," World Bank Publications, The World Bank, number 11855, June.
    8. Michele Alessandrini & Bassam Fattouh & Pasquale Scaramozzino, 2007. "The changing pattern of foreign trade specialization in Indian manufacturing," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 23(2), pages 270-291, Summer.
    9. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    10. Juan Carlos Hallak & Peter K. Schott, 2011. "Estimating Cross-Country Differences in Product Quality," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 126(1), pages 417-474.
    11. Joseph Francois & Hanna Norberg & Miriam Manchin, 2008. "Trade Impact Assessment of an EU-India Free Trade Agreement," IIDE Discussion Papers 20080601, Institue for International and Development Economics.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ferrarini, Benno & Scaramozzino, Pasquale, 2011. "Indicators and Patterns of Specialization in International Trade," Papers 148, World Trade Institute.
    2. Sumit Oberoi, 2019. "Dynamics of Trade Specialization and Trade Performance of ASEAN–India Free Trade Agreement," Journal of International Commerce, Economics and Policy (JICEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 10(01), pages 1-26, February.

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