This paper provides a theory of lobby formation within a framework in which trade policy is determined through … political contributions. Under certain conditions, free trade turns out to be an equilibrium outcome either when the government …

The Grossman-Helpman "Protection for Sale" model, concerning the political economy of trade protection, yields clear …

of GATT. Working within a general equilibrium trade model, they represent government preferences in a way that is … leading political-economy models. Using this general framework, the authors establish that GATT's principles of reciprocity … and nondiscrimination can be viewed as simple rules that assist governments in their effort to implement efficient trade …

The World Trade Organization (WFO) lacks the power to directly enforce agreements. It is, therefore, important to … distinct advantages over a web of bilateral agreements. This paper examines two potential benefits of a multilateral trade … mechanisms; second, promoting multilateral trade negotiations rather than a web of bilateral negotiations. The model suggests …

If trade barriers are managed by inefficient institutions, trade liberalization can lead to greater-than-expected gains …

We find that prior to World Trade Organization membership, countries set import tariffs 9 percentage points higher on … average tariffs in these countries, and market power explains more of the tariff variation than a commonly used political … economy variable. Moreover, US trade restrictions not covered by the WTO are significantly higher on goods where the United …