While a number of measures of openness have been used in empirical studies, none has a theoretical derivation. Using cge models of an economy, this paper derives a number of measures of opennesss which lie on the unit interval and have a welfare interpretation. One group of measure are...

The history of the reforms of the assistance given to Australian agriculture over the past fifty years is a remarkable story, especially when contrasted with the experiences of most other OECD countries. The effects of these reforms have been captured by the Productivity Commission (and its...

In 1990, Australia and New Zealand were ranked around 25th and 35th in terms of GNP per capita, having been the highest-income countries in the world one hundred years earlier. The poor performance over that long period contrasts markedly with that of the past 15 years, when these two economies...

This paper provides a survey of aspects of the theory of regional trading agreements and of empirical evidence relating to estimates of country gains and losses. It begins with a survey of the predictions of trade theory relating to the gains and losses to member and to non-member countries of...

Presenting a blend of economics and law, this book provides unique insights as well as practical guidance for negotiators considering major issues on the agendas of bilateral and regional preferential trading agreements (PTAs).

1. Introduction The general level of assistance which has gone to farmers and other agricultural producers has been a major political issue since the beginning of Federation in Australia. From 1901 butter producers received protection from imports in the form of a prohibition of imports of...

Australia's lackluster economic growth performance in the first four decades following World War II was in part due to an anti-trade, anti-primary sector bias in government assistance policies. This paper provides new annual estimates of the extent of those biases since 1946 and their gradual...