This paper shows that the presence of quotas on imported inputs that are based on installed capacity can lead to capacity underutilization in manufacturing industries of developing countries. A replacement of such quotas, by tariffs leads to full capacity utilization under assumptions of both...

The paper explores the relationship between trade policy and current accounts. The effect on the current account of a change in protection at home and then abroad is analyzed, assuming that the exchange rate floats. The “savings-and-investment approach” is used. It shows that there is no...

In most macroeconomic models, the substitutability between domestic and foreign goods is calibrated using aggregated data. This imposes homogeneous elasticities across goods, and the calibration is only valid under this assumption. If elasticities are heterogeneous, the aggregate...

The paper reviews the statistical behavior of major currency exchange rates during 1975-86. A close inspection indicates small deviations of recent exchange rate behavior from random walks and some systematic movements in monthly data, possibly corresponding to the relatively infrequent arrivals...

This paper discusses reviews major issues and developments in the trade area and outlines the problems in the multilateral trading system that governments face as they seek to liberalize trade in the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations. The paper's emphasis is on policy developments in the major...

This Reference Note introduces guidance on preferential trade agreements (PTAs). In so doing, it responds to the request by the Executive Board in the context of the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) Evaluation of IMF Involvement in Trade Policy Issues. Section II provides context for the...

This note provides an update on the status of Doha negotiations and an outlook on significant non-Doha trade issues that should be tackled in the near future. Section II investigates what has stalled progress on Doha since the IMF Executive Board was last briefed in October 2008 (World Bank and...

The Handbook on Measuring Digital Trade sets out a conceptual and measurement framework for digital trade which aligns with the broader standards for macro-economic statistics. It aims to help statistical compilers to address policymakers' needs for statistical evidence on digital trade. It...

The relevant “size” of an economy is affected by its environment. A country could be small in the world economy yet become big in relation to its smaller neighbors, imposing on them its relative price structure and the consequences of its trade policies. We examine here the consequences of...