Data and Code for: "Why Special Economic Zones? Using Trade Policy to Discriminate Across Importers"

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Matthew Grant, Stanford University

Name	File Type	Size	Last Modified
Replication-files			12/17/2019 07:24:PM

Project Citation:

Grant, Matthew. Data and Code for: “Why Special Economic Zones? Using Trade Policy to Discriminate Across Importers.” Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2020. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2020-04-24. https://doi.org/10.3886/E115282V1

Project Description

Summary: Tariffs are generally assumed to depend on the product, not the identity of the importer. However, special economic zones are a common, economically important policy used worldwide to lower tariffs on selected goods for selected manufacturers. I show this is motivated by policymakers' desire to discriminate across buyers when a tax is intended to raise prices for sellers, through a mechanism distinct from existing theories of optimal taxation. Using a new dataset compiled from public records and exogenous changes in imports of intermediate goods, I find the form, composition, and size of U.S. zones are consistent with the theory.

Scope of Project

JEL Classification:
      F10 Trade: General
      F13 Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
      F14 Empirical Studies of Trade

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Published Versions

V1 [2020-04-24]

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DDI 2.5

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