We study how the most-favored-nation (MFN) clause affects the tariffs of an importer, technology adoption by exporters, and global welfare. Our main contribution is to consider the disclosure effect of the MFN clause, that is, the fact that it makes tariffs not only uniform but also observable...

We study how the most-favored-nation (MFN) clause affects the tariffs of an importer, the technology choices of exporters, and global welfare. Our key contribution is to consider that the MFN clause does not only impose nondiscriminatory tariffs but also makes tariffs observable to third...

This paper analyzes whether uniform tariffs give rise to the highest welfare compared with tariffs that either escalate or de-escalate along the value chain of production. We show that countries may be better off with de-escalating tariffs where tariff rates are higher on intermediate inputs and...

We scrutinize the impact of international productivity gains (spillovers) induced by imports and exports on optimal tariffs. First, we solve a stylized 2x2 trade model of a large open economy and show that (a) productivity gains via exports and imports both reduce the strategically optimal...