Economy-wide Effects of Further Trade Reforms in Tunisia's Services Sectors

Philippa Dee, Ndiame Diop

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    Abstract

    This is an edited version of Chapter 4 in John Gilbert (2010), New Developments in Computable General Equilibrium Analysis for Trade Policy, Frontiers of Economics and Globalization 7, Bingley UK: Emerald Group Publishing: 61–101.

    The purpose of this paper is to benchmark Tunisia against other emerging economies in terms of the regulatory barriers affecting particular services sectors, and to assess the economy-wide effects of further liberalizing these services trade restrictions, compared with reducing the dispersion in barriers to its merchandise trade. On the basis of a rather restricted sample of services sectors, partial regulatory reform would yield gains roughly equivalent to full unilateral reform of manufacturing tariffs, but roughly one-tenth the gains from full bilateral reform of border protection in agriculture with the European Union. The adjustment costs associated with these services trade reforms would be minimal. The paper identifies the reasons why the gains from these services reforms are relatively small, and argues that a wider set of reforms could provide win-win outcomes and even fewer adjustment costs. By contrast, the gains in agriculture and manufacturing tend to come at the expense of domestic output in the reforming sectors -- the gains are greater, but so too are the adjustment costs.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationServices Trade Reform
    Subtitle of host publicationMaking Sense of It
    EditorsPhilippa Dee
    Place of PublicationSingapore
    PublisherWorld Scientific Publishing Co.
    Chapter6
    Pages125-168
    ISBN (Print)9789814508742, 9814508748
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2013

    Publication series

    NameWorld Scientific Studies in International Economics
    PublisherWorld Scientific
    Volume28
    ISSN (Print)1793-3641

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