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Trade Policy: Home Market Effect versus Terms-of-Trade Externality

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  • Alessia Campolmi
  • Harald Fadinger
  • Chiara Forlati

Abstract

We study trade policy in a two-sector Krugman (1980) trade model, allowing alternatively for production subsidies, import tariffs or export subsidies. For each instrument, we consider the unilateral trade policy without retaliation, the Nash solution and the cooperative solution and contrast those with the efficient allocation. While previous studies have identified the home market externality, which gives incentives to agglomerate firms in the domestic economy, as the driving force behind non-cooperative trade policy in this model, we show that this, in fact, is never the case. Instead, the prevailing incentives for a non-cooperative trade policy arise from the desire to eliminate monopolistic distortions and to improve domestic terms of trade. As a consequence, uncoordinated trade policies are not necessarily protectionist and allowing countries to set production or export subsidies strategically can be welfare improving compared to the free trade equilibrium. The implications are relevant: the Krugman (1980) model provides no rationale for prohibiting production and export subsidies.

Suggested Citation

  • Alessia Campolmi & Harald Fadinger & Chiara Forlati, 2009. "Trade Policy: Home Market Effect versus Terms-of-Trade Externality," CEU Working Papers 2012_3, Department of Economics, Central European University, revised 01 Dec 2011.
  • Handle: RePEc:ceu:econwp:2012_3
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    Cited by:

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    3. Epifani, Paolo & Gancia, Gino, 2017. "Global imbalances revisited: The transfer problem and transport costs in monopolistic competition," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 99-116.
    4. Haaland, Jan I. & Venables, Anthony J., 2016. "Optimal trade policy with monopolistic competition and heterogeneous firms," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 85-95.
    5. Kohl, Miriam & Richter, Philipp M., 2023. "Unilateral tax policy in the open economy," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    6. Antonella Nocco & Gianmarco I. P. Ottaviano & Matteo Salto & Atsushi Tadokoro, 2024. "Leaving the global playing field through optimal non-discriminatory corporate taxes and subsidies," CEP Discussion Papers dp1992, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    7. Nocco, Antonella & Ottaviano, Gianmarco I.P. & Salto, Matteo, 2019. "Geography, competition, and optimal multilateral trade policy," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 145-161.
    8. Gene M. Grossman & Phillip McCalman & Robert W. Staiger, 2021. "The “New” Economics of Trade Agreements: From Trade Liberalization to Regulatory Convergence?," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 89(1), pages 215-249, January.
    9. Fadinger, Harald & Campolmi, Alessia & Forlati, Chiara, 2018. "Trade and Domestic Policies under Monopolistic Competition," CEPR Discussion Papers 13219, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    10. Stéphane Auray & Devereux Michael B. & Aurélien Eyquem, 2020. "Trade Wars, Currency Wars," Post-Print halshs-03031833, HAL.
    11. Stéphane Auray & Michael B. Devereux & Aurélien Eyquem, 2024. "The Demand for Trade Protection over the Business Cycle," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 56(4), pages 865-898, June.
    12. Arnaud Costinot & Andrés Rodríguez‐Clare & Iván Werning, 2020. "Micro to Macro: Optimal Trade Policy With Firm Heterogeneity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 88(6), pages 2739-2776, November.
    13. Bagwell, Kyle & Lee, Seung Hoon, 2020. "Trade policy under monopolistic competition with firm selection," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    14. Paul R. Bergin & Giancarlo Corsetti, 2020. "Beyond Competitive Devaluations: The Monetary Dimensions of Comparative Advantage," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 12(4), pages 246-286, October.
    15. Ariel Weinberger & Luca Macedoni, 2023. "International Spillovers of Quality Regulations," Working Papers 2023-10, The George Washington University, Institute for International Economic Policy.
    16. David De Remer, 2013. "Domestic Policy Coordination in Imperfectly Competitive Markets," Working Papers ECARES ECARES 2013-46, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    17. David De Remer, 2013. "The Evolution of International Subsidy Rules," Working Papers ECARES ECARES 2013-45, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    18. Vincent Rebeyrol, 2023. "Protection Without Discrimination," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 133(655), pages 2807-2827.
    19. Paul R. Bergin & Giancarlo Corsetti, 2013. "International Competitiveness and Monetary Policy: Strategic Policy and Coordination with a Production Relocation Externality," NBER Working Papers 19356, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    20. Takatsuka, Hajime & Zeng, Dao-Zhi, 2016. "Nontariff protection without an outside good," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 65-78.
    21. Kyle Bagwell & Robert W. Staiger, 2016. "The Design of Trade Agreements," NBER Working Papers 22087, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    22. Allan Sørensen, 2022. "Spillovers from foreign business conditions," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 158(3), pages 779-814, August.
    23. Pol Antràs & Teresa C. Fort & Agustín Gutiérrez & Felix Tintelnot, 2022. "Trade Policy and Global Sourcing: An Efficiency Rationale for Tariff Escalation," NBER Working Papers 30225, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    24. David R. DeRemer, 2016. "The Principle of Reciprocity in the 21st Century," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 1613, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • F42 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - International Policy Coordination and Transmission

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