An often-neglected potential negative consequence of tariffs is the impact they may have on the misallocation of factor inputs. Trade protection can provide space for domestic firms to increase prices and mark-ups, allowing low-productivity firms to survive, thereby leading to a sub-optimal...

This paper presents a model where misallocation in the agricultural factors of production is caused by transportation costs to and from local markets, which result in an inefficiently large share of inputs operated by less productive subsistence farmers. The model derives some testable...