This thesis contains three essays on topics in agricultural economics. The research is focused on the economic effects of different trade policies applied within the US, Canada and the European Union. <p>Essay one evaluates the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden to the single EU common market. The degree of integration of these three countries in agricultural trade in the EU has not previously been evaluated. Trade theory suggests that one of the outcomes resulting from a regional trade agreement is increased market integration among markets in member states. The cointegration of the commodity prices across countries is tested using time-series techniques. This method is important as it can be applied to questions relating to globalization. <p>Essay two examines the biofuel industry in Canada and US from a trade perspective. The development of a large market for biofuels is judged to have two main benefits for North America: environmental benefits in Canada and energy security in the US. A theoretical model is developed using the option value theory to determine whether the two distinct motivating factors can lead to different levels of optimal subsidies in each country. While the development of a biofuel industry is viewed as extremely important in a number of countries, the trade laws on subsidies with respect these products lacks clarity. This research represents an important step in understanding the economics of biofuels and the situations where trade disputes can be expected to appear in the future.<p>Dumping is the subject of the third essay where the strategies of firms in the face of an anti-dumping action are examined using game theory. The possibility of free riding in case of an anti-dumping petition is investigated in two situations: the benefits of the anti-dumping case are considered either a public good or a joint product. The second situation can be applied only for US, because of so-called Byrd Amendment. The theoretical model developed represents an important contribution to trade policy and it can be easily applied when examining the effects of other trade or domestic policies.

This thesis contains three essays on topics in agricultural economics. The research is focused on the economic effects of different trade policies applied within the US, Canada and the European Union. <p>Essay one evaluates the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden to the single EU common market. The degree of integration of these three countries in agricultural trade in the EU has not previously been evaluated. Trade theory suggests that one of the outcomes resulting from a regional trade agreement is increased market integration among markets in member states. The cointegration of the commodity prices across countries is tested using time-series techniques. This method is important as it can be applied to questions relating to globalization. <p>Essay two examines the biofuel industry in Canada and US from a trade perspective. The development of a large market for biofuels is judged to have two main benefits for North America: environmental benefits in Canada and energy security in the US. A theoretical model is developed using the option value theory to determine whether the two distinct motivating factors can lead to different levels of optimal subsidies in each country. While the development of a biofuel industry is viewed as extremely important in a number of countries, the trade laws on subsidies with respect these products lacks clarity. This research represents an important step in understanding the economics of biofuels and the situations where trade disputes can be expected to appear in the future.<p>Dumping is the subject of the third essay where the strategies of firms in the face of an anti-dumping action are examined using game theory. The possibility of free riding in case of an anti-dumping petition is investigated in two situations: the benefits of the anti-dumping case are considered either a public good or a joint product. The second situation can be applied only for US, because of so-called Byrd Amendment. The theoretical model developed represents an important contribution to trade policy and it can be easily applied when examining the effects of other trade or domestic policies.

This thesis evaluates the arguments for replacing antidumping laws with competition laws or, alternatively, for recasting antidumping laws in the pattern of competition laws. / The work discusses the objectives and criteria used in antidumping and antitrust cases. It highlights the harmful and chilling effects of antidumping sanctions. It is a study of whether antidumping laws should be replaced by either supra national (Competition laws) or harmonised domestic antitrust regimes, which penalise international predatory pricing without at the same time penalising non-predatory international price discrimination. / It is suggested that progressive reforms of antidumping rules should become an agenda item of all future WTO Rounds and should focus on reconciling antidumping rules with antitrust treatment of predatory pricing practices. / The progressive inclusion of antitrust criteria into WTO antidumping laws should be made a condition for progress in future WTO negotiations.

Thesis (master's)--Thammasat University, May, 2005. / "A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Economics (English Language Program), Faculty of Economics, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-125).

A utilização crescente das medidas antidumping, tanto como instrumento de defesa comercial como com fins exclusivamente protecionistas, tem sido, cada vez mais, objeto de estudo dos especialistas e estudiosos na área de direito internacional econômico. Seu uso desvirtuado da finalidade para a qual foi concebida prejudica o fim maior que deveria ser protegido: o livre comércio. A evolução da regulamentação nacional e multilateral das medidas não foi suficiente para sanar todas as lacunas existentes e impedir o principal problema: a discricionariedade das autoridades nacionais. Este trabalho procurar identificar as principais lacunas do atual Acordo Antidumping, apresentar a jurisprudência da OMC sobre o tema e sugerir algumas reformas que ajudariam a deixar a regulamentação mais clara, objetiva e mais próxima do ideal proposto. / The increasing utilization of the antidumping measures, both as an instrument of commercial defense as exclusively protectionist goals, has been more and more study object of specialists and scholars in the field of Economic International Law. Its disparaged use of the initially conceived purpose jeopardizes the greater end should be protected: the free trade. The national and multinational regulation evolution of the measures was not enough to heal all the existing gaps and to prevent the main problem: the national authority discretionary. This work tries to identify the main gaps of the current Antidumping Agreement, to present OMC Jurisprudence on the issue and to suggest some reforms that would help make the regulation clearer, objective, and closer to the proposed ideal.

A utilização crescente das medidas antidumping, tanto como instrumento de defesa comercial como com fins exclusivamente protecionistas, tem sido, cada vez mais, objeto de estudo dos especialistas e estudiosos na área de direito internacional econômico. Seu uso desvirtuado da finalidade para a qual foi concebida prejudica o fim maior que deveria ser protegido: o livre comércio. A evolução da regulamentação nacional e multilateral das medidas não foi suficiente para sanar todas as lacunas existentes e impedir o principal problema: a discricionariedade das autoridades nacionais. Este trabalho procurar identificar as principais lacunas do atual Acordo Antidumping, apresentar a jurisprudência da OMC sobre o tema e sugerir algumas reformas que ajudariam a deixar a regulamentação mais clara, objetiva e mais próxima do ideal proposto. / The increasing utilization of the antidumping measures, both as an instrument of commercial defense as exclusively protectionist goals, has been more and more study object of specialists and scholars in the field of Economic International Law. Its disparaged use of the initially conceived purpose jeopardizes the greater end should be protected: the free trade. The national and multinational regulation evolution of the measures was not enough to heal all the existing gaps and to prevent the main problem: the national authority discretionary. This work tries to identify the main gaps of the current Antidumping Agreement, to present OMC Jurisprudence on the issue and to suggest some reforms that would help make the regulation clearer, objective, and closer to the proposed ideal.

A utilização crescente das medidas antidumping, tanto como instrumento de defesa comercial como com fins exclusivamente protecionistas, tem sido, cada vez mais, objeto de estudo dos especialistas e estudiosos na área de direito internacional econômico. Seu uso desvirtuado da finalidade para a qual foi concebida prejudica o fim maior que deveria ser protegido: o livre comércio. A evolução da regulamentação nacional e multilateral das medidas não foi suficiente para sanar todas as lacunas existentes e impedir o principal problema: a discricionariedade das autoridades nacionais. Este trabalho procurar identificar as principais lacunas do atual Acordo Antidumping, apresentar a jurisprudência da OMC sobre o tema e sugerir algumas reformas que ajudariam a deixar a regulamentação mais clara, objetiva e mais próxima do ideal proposto. / The increasing utilization of the antidumping measures, both as an instrument of commercial defense as exclusively protectionist goals, has been more and more study object of specialists and scholars in the field of Economic International Law. Its disparaged use of the initially conceived purpose jeopardizes the greater end should be protected: the free trade. The national and multinational regulation evolution of the measures was not enough to heal all the existing gaps and to prevent the main problem: the national authority discretionary. This work tries to identify the main gaps of the current Antidumping Agreement, to present OMC Jurisprudence on the issue and to suggest some reforms that would help make the regulation clearer, objective, and closer to the proposed ideal.

This dissertation analyzes the trading effects and the politics of antidumping. The first essay empirically examines the influence of partisanship on antidumping. I show that an increase in the leftist orientation of the government makes labor intensive industries less likely to file an antidumping petition. I also demonstrate that the increase in the leftist orientation of the government is associated with an increase in the likelihood of an affirmative antidumping outcome for the petitions of labor intensive industries. The second essay investigates the effect of past exporting relationships of the firms, whose products are targeted by antidumping duties, on their export flows to alternative markets. My estimations show that facing an antidumping duty on a product leads to a 18% increase in the exports of the firm for that product to the alternative countries where the firms previously exported the same product and a 8% increase to the countries where the firms exported another product. On the contrary, I fail to find a significant effect of antidumping duties on the exports of the particular product to third countries to which the firm did not export before. Further, I show that a firm’s probability to start exporting the duty imposed product in a different destination increases by 8-10% if the firm already exported another product to that destination. However, I find no such evidence for the countries to which the firm did not export before. The third essay empirically analyzes the effect of potential antidumping claims, resulting from an antidumping investigation in the domestic market, on the quality of exported products to the target countries. My findings suggest that retaliation threats increase the quality of firms’ shipments for the named industries’ products to the target countries by 11%. This effect is also significantly increasing in the share of the exports of the named industries’ products shipped to the target country in the firms’ total exports. Further, I show that this effect is 4 % higher for the exporters serving the developed countries and 3% higher for ones serving the heavy antidumping users.

Lightweight thermal paper (LWTP) is a noteworthy import commodity with wide usage and large import value in the United States. In this study, the trade pattern and market dynamics of the LWTP import market in the U.S. has been examined based on almost ideal demand system. The results revealed that both the trade volume and import source of LWTP had changed during last decade. Competition relationships were found among major suppliers in both the short run and long run, and the long-run competition is stronger than that in the short run. The repeal of restriction on conducting countervailing investigation against non-market economy temporarily stimulated the import of LWTP products from China, but the following antidumping/countervailing investigation and the corresponding punitive duties generated trade depression effect on the imports. In addition, positive trade diversion effect was found on German products, which raises doubt on the effectiveness of this trade remedy policy.

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