Suchergebnisse

The aim of this volume is to examine and compare the trade policies followed by the most important trading nations of the world. Today there are few, if any, large scale studies of comparative trade such as this one. Moreover trade policies and controversies are expected to become even more important in the future. The volume offers an easily accessible overview of trade policies in each of the world's major trading countries. Thus, this handbook can be of great use to students of comparative economic systems in general and to economists, policymakers, and the general informed public, serving as a comprehensive source of reference and comparison. The references at the end of each chapter and the selected bibliography at the end of the volume identify the most important sources of additional information on the trade policies of the world's most important trading countries.

The purpose of the present article is to consider optimal trade policies for biofuels, taking into account the potential for carbon leakage and the complex set of policies used or discussed for biofuels. First, the authors consider the case of optimal trade policies and find that the combination of an import standard and a border carbon adjustment welfare dominates using only a border carbon adjustment (BCA). The import standard should be set such that the emissions per unit of output is as if the foreign biofuels industry were subject to the globally optimal green house gas (GHG) emission tax. Second, the authors study the same trade policies in the context of a blending mandate, which significantly alters the way the market works. Given the suboptimal implementation of a blending mandate, the optimal BCA depends on the domestic subsidy to biofuels production. High levels of subsidies may in fact imply a negative BCA; that is, the optimal policy would be to subsidize imports.

Some emphasis on U.S. trade with China and on special economic zones.