Who is really 'paying' for protection? : The consumer effects of protection in Australia and the role of political economy

Newman, Penelope May. (1995). Who is really 'paying' for protection? : The consumer effects of protection in Australia and the role of political economy Honours Thesis, School of Economics, University of Queensland.

       
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Author Newman, Penelope May.
Thesis Title Who is really 'paying' for protection? : The consumer effects of protection in Australia and the role of political economy
School, Centre or Institute School of Economics
Institution University of Queensland
Publication date 1995
Thesis type Honours Thesis
Total pages 106
Language eng
Subjects 14 Economics
Formatted abstract Australia has a long history of tariff protection. The government has used tariffs and other forms of assistance to raise revenue and more recently to protect industry employment and profitability. Despite the attempt in recent years to lower the barriers to trade, the history, motivation and effects of Australia’ s tariff policy remains relevant. This thesis provides a general overview of the commercial policy employed since the late nineteenth century. It then focuses on an issue which has been somewhat neglected by researchers: the consumer effect of protection. Theory suggests that consumer welfare is reduced by tariffs and quotas, but this does not thoroughly examine the topic. The thesis takes a sample of industries and calculates the implicit tax consumers have paid as a result of the protection these industries have been given. The results lead to questioning why, if consumers are negatively and regressively impacted, was protection sustained for the past century. A political economy framework answers this question. Industry groups are shown to have been a significant influence on the direction of government policy. The role and treatment of gifts and donations to political parties and• politicians is also examined to provide an insight into the political decision-making process.

 
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Created: Tue, 23 Nov 2010, 14:17:06 EST by Ning Jing on behalf of The University of Queensland Library