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The Price and Welfare Consequences of the British Sugar Act of 1846

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  • Absell, Christopher David

Abstract

Research on trade liberalization frequently overlooks the effects on third-party welfare. This paper studies a historically tragic third-party consequence of a special case of tariff reform: the British Sugar Act of 1846. Using a new database of monthly observations of prices and import volumes for the period 1840–1853, I estimate the price and welfare effects of the passage of the Sugar Act for consumers and colonial and noncolonial producers. Considerable consumption gains for British consumers and a reduced deadweight loss were derived from the intensification of trade with the slave economies.

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  • Absell, Christopher David, 2025. "The Price and Welfare Consequences of the British Sugar Act of 1846," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 85(1), pages 215-249, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:85:y:2025:i:1:p:215-249_7
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