Publication: Impact of Free Trade Agreement Use on Import Prices
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Date
2018-04
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Published
2018-04
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Abstract
This paper examines the impact of free trade agreement (FTA) use on import prices. For this analysis, it employs establishment-level import data with information on tariff schemes, that is, the FTA and most-favored-nation schemes used for importing. Unlike previous studies, this paper estimates the effects of FTA use on prices by controlling for differences in importing-firm characteristics. There are three main findings. First, the effect of FTA use is overestimated when not controlling for importing firm-related fixed effects. Second, on average, firms' FTA use reduces tariffs by 12 percentage points and raises import prices by 3.6-6.7 percent. Third, in general, a price rise resulting from the costs of complying with rules of origin was not found.
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“Hayakawa, Kazunobu; Laksanapanyakul, Nuttawut; Mukunoki, Hiroshi; Urata, Shujiro. 2018. Impact of Free Trade Agreement Use on Import Prices. Policy Research Working Paper;No. 8416. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29718 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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