Government intervention in product and factor markets generally leads to trade distortions. Conventional measures of government intervention, such as the Producer Subsidy Equivalent and the Nominal Rate of Protection, are often used to compare the effects of alternative policies on trade. This...

In a recent paper (Rausser, forthcoming 1992), Vercammen and Schmitz analyzed the relationship between efficiency of farm programs and their trade-distorting effects. They found that, in general, the more efficient a farm program, the lesser the trade-distorting impact. Exploration of the final...

Japan is the world's largest importer of agricultural products. Even so, agricultural imports in Japan are more restricted than any other OECD country. Many of the instruments used by the Japanese to protect the agricultural sector fall under the general heading of quantitative restrictions;...