Why Special Economic Zones? Using Trade Policy to Discriminate across Importers

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2020
Volume: 110
Issue: 5
Pages: 1540-71

Score contribution per author:

8.043 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Tariffs are generally assumed to depend on the product, not the identity of the importer. However, special economic zones are a common, economically important policy used worldwide to lower tariffs on selected goods for selected manufacturers. I show this is motivated by policymakers' desire to discriminate across buyers when a tax is intended to raise prices for sellers, through a mechanism distinct from existing theories of optimal taxation. Using a new dataset compiled from public records and exogenous changes in imports of intermediate goods, I find the form, composition, and size of US zones are consistent with the theory.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:110:y:2020:i:5:p:1540-71
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25