International Trade in Genetically Modified Products

Gentically modified products; import ban; landowners

Genetic Contamination of Traditional Products

Cross-pollination can be caused by birds, insects and wind. Genetically modified (GM) seeds are produced each year in a controlled environment to maintain their purity. However, pollen from the GM crop can be transferred to traditional crops. When the GM crop producers are in long-run equilibrium and buy seeds from a monopolistic seed producer, the resulting market equilibrium is identical to that when a seed monopolist produces the GM crop directly. When involuntary genetic contamination occurs, the monopolist eventually loses its advantage and stops its protection of GM seeds. A terminator gene can stop genetic contamination but imposes spillover costs on the traditional producers and reduces their outputs.genetic contamination

Optimal Trade Policies for a Developing Country Under Uncertainty

This paper investigates optimal trade policies for a developing small open economy which faces international price uncertainty. Trade taxes are used to finance provision of a public good, which enters the utility function of consumers. If demands for private goods are independent of the public good, the optimal composite tariff dominates the optimal quota. If the optimal state-contingent tariff increases with the foreign price, the optimal specific tariff also dominates the optimal quota, regardless of risk aversion. However, the ranking of the optimal specific tariff and the optimal quota generally depends on risk attitudes as well as ordinal preferences.International Relations/Trade,