Tariff Incidence in America's Gilded Age

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Economic History
Year: 2007
Volume: 67
Issue: 3
Pages: 582-607

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

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

Abstract

In the late nineteenth century, the United States imposed high tariffs to protect domestic manufacturers from foreign competition. This article examines the magnitude of protection given to import-competing producers and the costs imposed on export-oriented producers by focusing on changes in the domestic prices of traded goods relative to nontraded goods. The results suggest that the 30 percent average import tariff gave about a 17 percent implicit subsidy to import-competing producers and effectively taxed exporters at about 10 percent. Tariffs redistributed large amounts of income (about 8 percent of GDP), but the effect on consumers was roughly neutral.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:cup:jechis:v:67:y:2007:i:03:p:582-607_00
Journal Field
Economic History
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25