Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
Does “infant industry” preferential access durably boost exports? Using country-product-year data for 1992–2017 and triple-differences regressions, we show that the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) enhanced apparel exports of African countries on average. But the impact leveled off after the Multi-Fiber Arrangement unleashed competition from Asian countries. Furthermore, the positive average impact masks regional heterogeneity: East Africa’s late-bloomers offset Southern Africa’s boom-bust pattern. Overall, we find little evidence that preferences durably boosted exports.