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Trade Barriers and the Collapse of World Trade During the Great Depression

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  • Jakob B. Madsen

Abstract

Using panel data estimates of export and import equations for 17 countries in the interwar period, this paper estimates the effects of increasing tariff and nontariff trade barriers on worldwide trade over the period 1929 to 1932. The estimates suggest that real world trade contracted approximately 14% because of declining income, 8% as a result of discretionary increases in tariff rates, 5% owing to deflation‐induced tariff increases, and a further 6% because of the imposition of nontariff barriers. Allowing for feedback effects from trade barriers on income and prices, discretionary impositions of trade barriers contributed about the same to the trade collapse as the diminishing nominal income.

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  • Jakob B. Madsen, 2001. "Trade Barriers and the Collapse of World Trade During the Great Depression," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 67(4), pages 848-868, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:soecon:v:67:y:2001:i:4:p:848-868
    DOI: 10.1002/j.2325-8012.2001.tb00377.x
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    3. Vellore Arthi & Markus Lampe & Ashwin Nair & Kevin Hjortshøj O’Rourke, 2024. "Deliberate Surrender? The Impact of Interwar Indian Protection," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 134(657), pages 23-47.
    4. Angélica Domínguez-Cardoza & Adelina Garamow & Josefin Meyer, 2022. "Global Commodity Markets and Sovereign Risk across 150 Years," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 2020, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
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    6. Carballo, Jeronimo & Handley, Kyle & Limão, Nuno, 2022. "Economic and policy uncertainty: Aggregate export dynamics and the value of agreements," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    7. Chao, Chi-Chur & Yu, Eden S.H. & Yu, Wusheng, 2009. "Government Budget, Public-Sector Wages, and Corporate Taxes in a Small Open Economy," Conference papers 331917, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.

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