Industrial labor productivities and tariffs in South Africa : identification based on multilateral liberalization reform
Abstract
The analysis of the effect of tariffs for labor productivity faces the challenge of tariff policy endogeneity. Tariff policy is designed to promote economic development and the industrial sector tariff structure may reflect characteristics of the industries protected. We seek to identify the effect of tariffs by taking advantage of multilateral tariff liberalization using reductions in industrial sector tariffs in other world regions as instruments for sectoral tariff reductions in South Africa. The data cover 28 manufacturing sectors over the period 1988-2003. We find that tariff reductions have stimulated labor productivity when instrumented by multilateral tariffs. The OLS estimates show downward bias and supports the understanding that the government has given priority to tariff reductions in sectors with slow productivity growth.
Publisher
Statistics Norway, Research DepartmentSeries
Discussion Papers;585Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
The impacts of alternative policy instruments on environmental performance. A firm level study of temporary and persistent effects
Bye, Brita; Klemetsen, Marit Elisabeth (Discussion papers;788, Working paper, 2014-10)We study the effects of various environmental regulations on environmental performance measured as emission intensity. Moreover, we aim to test whether any such effects are persistent or only temporary. Conventional theory ... -
The welfare effects of carbon policies: grandfathered quotas versus differentiated taxes
Bye, Brita; Nyborg, Karine (Discussion Papers;No. 261, Working paper, 1999)Recently, it has been demonstrated that pre-existing distortionary taxes can substantially increase the costs of market-based instruments which do not raise revenue, such as non-auctioned emissions quotas. Revenue-raising ... -
Labour market rigidities and environmental tax reforms : welfare effects of different regimes
Bye, Brita (Discussion Papers;No. 242, Working paper, 1998)The working of the labour market is important for the total welfare effects of tax reforms. This paper analyses, by using a computable general equilibrium model for the Norwegian economy, how different assumptions about ...