Have Falling Tariffs and Transportation Costs Raised US Wage Inequality?

B-Tier
Journal: Review of International Economics
Year: 2003
Volume: 11
Issue: 4
Pages: 630-650

Authors (2)

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

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

Abstract

To gauge the effect of international trade on the rising US skill premium, the paper analyzes the sector bias of price changes induced by changes in US tariffs and transportation costs. It is found that, in both the 1970s and 1980s, cuts in tariffs and transportation cost levels were concentrated in unskilled‐intensive sectors. Despite this suggestive evidence, the authors estimate that price changes induced by tariffs or transportation costs mandated a rise in inequality that was mostly statistically insignificant. Thus, they do not find strong evidence that falling tariffs and transport costs, working through price changes, mandated rises in inequality.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:bla:reviec:v:11:y:2003:i:4:p:630-650
Journal Field
International
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25