Distortions to Agricultural Incentives in Australia Since World War II

54 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2016

See all articles by Kym Anderson

Kym Anderson

University of Adelaide - Centre for International Economic Studies (CIES); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); Australian National University

Peter Lloyd

University of Melbourne - Department of Economics

Donald MacLaren

University of Melbourne - Department of Economics

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: January 1, 2008

Abstract

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 phase-out during the past two decades. In doing so it reveals that the timing of the sector assistance cuts was such as sometimes to improve but sometimes to worsen the distortions to incentives faced by farmers. The changes increased the variation of assistance rates within agriculture during the 1950s and 1960s, reducing the welfare contribution of those programs in that period. Although the assistance pattern within agriculture appears not to have been strongly biased against exporters, its reform has coincided with a substantial increase in the export orientation of many farm industries. The overall pattern for Australia is contrasted with that revealed by comparable new estimates for other high-income countries.

Keywords: Economic Theory & Research, Rural Development Knowledge & Information Systems, Emerging Markets, Banks & Banking Reform, Labor Policies

Suggested Citation

Anderson, Kym and Lloyd, Peter John and MacLaren, Donald, Distortions to Agricultural Incentives in Australia Since World War II (January 1, 2008). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 4471, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1082646

Kym Anderson (Contact Author)

University of Adelaide - Centre for International Economic Studies (CIES) ( email )

School of Economics
Adelaide SA 5005
Australia
+61 8 8313 4712 (Phone)
+61 8 8223 1460 (Fax)

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

Australian National University ( email )

Arndt-Corden Dept of Economics
Coombs Building
Canberra, AK ACT 2600
Australia
+61 8 8313 4712 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://publicpolicy.anu.edu.au/crawford_people/content/staff/acde/kanderson.php

Peter John Lloyd

University of Melbourne - Department of Economics ( email )

Melbourne, 3010
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://melbecon.unimelb.edu.au/staffprofile/plloyd/home.html

Donald MacLaren

University of Melbourne - Department of Economics ( email )

Victoria 3010, 3010
Australia
(61) 3 8344-5035 (Phone)
(61) 3 8344-6899 (Fax)

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