How to Read The Persistence of Protectionism in Developing Countries.: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Economic and Political Determinants. MOBI
Tackling poverty in developing countries needs to be seen in the context of trade and the trade regimes often prevalent in these countries.Barriers to free trade are significantly higher in developing countries than in their industrialized counterparts. The set of data supporting this statement appears established and compelling, historically (from the middle of last century) until contemporary times. This contrasts with conventional economic analysis that liberal trade regimes are beneficial to economic welfare, which appears especially valid for developing countries.It thus appears contradictory that the level of protectionism in developing countries is consistently high. This paradox has so far not been attempted to be explained in a comprehensive and interdisciplinary manner. Instead many scientists have merely shown that actually pursued trade policies in many poor countries often tended to diverge significantly from models of rational resource allocation, which has induced numerous researchers to examine the effects of the imbalance between theory and practice.But what about the causes and determinants of persistent protectionist policies? Why is it that in spite of its often obvious economic irrationality protectionism consistently remains a vital part of most developing countries' trade policies?This book – after statistically establishing the fact that trade barriers in developing countries are relatively high – attempts to find answers to these questions by means of an interdisciplinary approach referring to economic and political science insights (delinking, import substitution, rent-seeking, interest group and state class theories). The book is based on earlier research, but statistical figures have been updated where necessary and the relevance of the findings appear topical none the less.
