International Trade in Natural Resources: Practice and Policy

Posted: 22 Sep 2012

See all articles by Michele Ruta

Michele Ruta

Economic Research Division, WTO; Columbia University - Columbia Business School, Economics; International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Anthony J. Venables

University of Oxford; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Multiple version iconThere are 4 versions of this paper

Date Written: August 2012

Abstract

Natural resources account for 20% of world trade and dominate the exports of many countries. Policy is used to manipulate both international and domestic prices of resources, yet policy is largely outside the disciplines of the WTO. The instruments used include export taxes, price controls, production quotas, and domestic producer and consumer taxes (equivalent to trade taxes if no domestic production is possible). We review the literature and argue that the policy equilibrium is inefficient. This inefficiency is exacerbated by market failure in long-run contracts for the exploration and development of natural resources. Properly coordinated policy reforms offer an avenue to resource-exporting and resource-importing countries to overcome these inefficiencies and to obtain mutual gains.

Suggested Citation

Ruta, Michele and Venables, Anthony J., International Trade in Natural Resources: Practice and Policy (August 2012). Annual Review of Resource Economics, Vol. 4, Issue 1, pp. 331-352, 2012, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2150001 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-resource-110811-114526

Michele Ruta

Economic Research Division, WTO ( email )

Rue de Lausanne 154
CH-1211 Geneva
Switzerland

HOME PAGE: http://www.iue.it/Personal/Fellows/MicheleRuta/Welcome.htm

Columbia University - Columbia Business School, Economics ( email )

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International Monetary Fund (IMF) ( email )

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Washington, DC 20431
United States

Anthony J. Venables

University of Oxford ( email )

Mansfield Road
Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 4AU
United Kingdom

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

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