This paper examines the role of patent policy in the open economy. It begins by considering how the presence of patents affects trade in patentable products. A brief review of the general argument for patent protection is followed by consideration of the elements that comprise a patent system,...

This paper focuses on the macro-economic impacts of changes in health provision via its effects on the labour market. The resource allocation issues have been explored in theory, by further developing the Rybczynski theorem and empirically, using a Computable General Equilibrium model for the...

This article examines the role of rules of origin as a commercial policy instrument that targets the input composition of imports. Using a three-country, partial equilibrium structure, we demonstrate conditions under which the imposition of a binding rule will be welfare improving for an...

The phenomenon of rising wage inequality has been extensively documented in OECD countries. In the final quarter of the last century it appears to have been particularly marked in the US and UK. The drivers of rising inequality have been subject to econometric analysis and the relative roles of...

This paper examines the role of Rules of Origin as a commercial policy instrument which targets the input composition of imports. Using a three country, partial equilibrium structure, we demonstrate conditions under which the imposition of a binding Rule will be welfare improving for an importer...