This paper discusses the political economy behind the principal trade policy decisions in Russia since independence. I discuss why export restraints were widely employed in the early transition years and why the export quotas proved more difficult to remove than anticipated. Why it was so...

Reflecting the large initial distortions, trade, exchange rate, and energy reforms could generate large welfare gains for the Islamic Republic of Iran. If combined with direct income payments to all households (not just the poor), the poor would benefit enormously. The authors show that well...

How important to welfare and growth in developing countries are restraints on foreign providers of producer services? Limiting such services not only may limit growth but may hurt some of the very people - domestic skilled workers in such service sectors - those restraints are designed to protect

A survey of more than 50 empirical papers shows that the adjustment costs of trade liberalization are small relative to the benefits. Moreover, manufacturing employment typically increases with trade liberalization. The limited data suggests that trade liberalization reduces poverty