TY  - JOUR
AU  - Irwin,Douglas A.
TI  - Tariffs and Growth in Late Nineteenth Century America
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 7639
PY  - 2000
Y2  - April 2000
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w7639
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w7639.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Douglas A. Irwin
Department of Economics
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH  03755
Tel: 603/646-2942
Fax: 603/646-2122
E-Mail: douglas.irwin@dartmouth.edu
AB  - Were high import tariffs somehow related to the strong U.S. economic growth during the late nineteenth century?  This paper examines this frequently mentioned but controversial question and investigates the channels by which tariffs could have promoted growth during this period.  The paper shows that: (i) late nineteenth century growth hinged more on population expansion and capital accumulation than on productivity growth; (ii) tariffs may have discouraged capital accumulation by raising the price of imported capital goods; (iii) productivity growth was most rapid in non-traded sectors (such as utilities and services) whose performance was not directly related to the tariff.
ER  -