We provide an equilibrium analysis of the efficiency properties of bilateral tariff negotiations in a three-country, two-good general equilibrium model of international trade when transfers are not feasible. We consider "weak-rules" settings characterized by two cases: a no-rules case in which...

Suppose that when addressing the question of “what's left for the WTO?,” negotiators relied not on the agenda established in 2001 but instead on the terms-of-trade theory of trade agreements to identify tariff negotiating priorities. This paper uses the lens of the terms-of-trade theory to...

Are preferential trade agreements (PTAs) building or stumbling blocks for multilateral trade liberalization? I address this question in an infinitely repeated tariff game between three countries engaged in intraindustry trade under oligopoly. The central result is that when countries are...

Trade negotiations deal with possible cuts in bound duties, which differ substantially from applied preferential duties, and even from MFN applied duties. Based on WTO's Consolidated Tariff Schedules (CTS) database and on national sources, this paper proposes a systematic assessment of ad...

This chapter surveys empirically the broad features of trade policy in goods for 31 major economies that collectively represented 83% of the world's population and 91% of the world's GDP in 2013. We address five questions: Do some countries have more liberal trading regimes than others? Within...

This chapter provides an overview of the legal obligations of the WTO/GATT system and certain related national, bilateral, and plurilateral arrangements. It is intended for economists and other social scientists who seek a concise and accessible introduction to the core legal obligations of the...

What does economics have to say about the design of international trade agreements? We review a literature on this question, providing detailed coverage on three key design features of the GATT/WTO: reciprocity, nondiscrimination as embodied in the MFN principle, and tariff bindings and binding...

World Tariff Profiles 2019 provides comprehensive information on the tariffs and non-tariff measures imposed by over 170 countries and customs territories. It is a joint publication of the WTO, the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development...

World Tariff Profiles 2017 provides comprehensive information on the tariffs and non-tariff measures imposed by over 170 countries and customs territories. The publication starts with a breakdown of the tariffs imposed by these economies. The data is presented in summary tables and in individual...

World Tariff Profiles 2018 provides comprehensive information on the tariffs and non-tariff measures imposed by over 170 countries and customs territories. The publication starts with a breakdown of the tariffs imposed by these economies. Tariff data are presented in comparative tables and in...