This article offers a critical survey of the recent contributions on the ?tariff-growth paradox? (also known as ?Bairoch paradox?). The publication in 2000 of an important article by K. O?Rourke has sparked a lively debate on the linkages between trade policy and economic growth during the...

The principle of tariffs dispersion, or differential tariffs depending on country of origin, is well known. For instance, Canada adapted a double column of tariffs after 1846, Spain in 1877, and Switzerland in the 1880–1890s. But there has never before been a comprehensive measure for any...

We explore changes in product quality during France's major liberalization episode of the mid-nineteenth century. Using new data and existing techniques from the international trade literature, we investigate the relative quality of French products versus those of international competitors,...