Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/232914 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 14162
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Before the recent rebound due to the US–China trade war, tariffs on international trade were being progressively reduced over the last decades and advanced countries increasingly relied on non-tariff measures (NTMs) to protect their industries from foreign competition. In this paper, we exploit a novel database on NTMs to test their role in shaping the labour market effects of exposure to Chinese import competition over the 2000–2015 period. We relate changes in manufacturing employment to the share of employed workers protected by NTMs across US local labour markets and we instrument NTMs using the industry share of employment in swing states during presidential elections. Our results indicate that NTMs mitigate the negative employment effect of exposure to Chinese imports and have a positive effect on manufacturing wages (especially for the unskilled).
Subjects: 
import competition
non-tariff barriers
labour market
Chinese imports
JEL: 
E24
J23
J31
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.