As discussed in Laborde, Martin, and van der Mensbrugghe (2011), using an optimal tariff aggregator to perform trade policy simulations is critical to improving quantitative assessments of trade reform. Nevertheless, providing such inputs for general and partial equilibrium models can be cumbersome since it requires combining large datasets (several millions of trade flows and tariffs for a given year at a global level), a set of parameters (elasticities of substitution) and mathematical programming of the functional forms used in the disaggregated part of the approach. To help potential users, we provide a set of tools allowing users to reproduce the results discussed in Laborde, Martin, and van der Mensbrugghe (2011) and to perform their own aggregation and tariff reduction scenarios.
All these tools are distributed publicly and freely.
We have developed a downloadable collection of files, available here, fully consistent with the background paper (global dataset for 2004 compatible with GTAP 7). To use them, you are only required to:
- Download the zip archive and unzipped it (includes the model files and the dataset);
- Have a working version of MS Excel (user friendly interface);
- Download and install the demo version (free) of the GAMS software.
This package allows the user to perform their own aggregation and tariff reduction, and use alternative values for elasticity parameters. The installation procedure, the utilization and the data and program files documentations are described in AGRODEP Technical Note 13 (also included in the archive).
In all cases, the tools generate two sets of results (expenditure and tariff revenue equivalent tariffs) that can be imported into any simulation model. In particular, they can be used with the MIRAGRODEP model. For instance, the program has two outputs:
- TW1, the trade weighted tariff, that could be used as inputs for the DD parameter in MIRAGRODEP;
- TWE, the expenditure aggregator tariff that could be used as inputs for the DD_A parameter in MIRAGRODEP.
LICENSE INFORMATION
The AGRODEP CONSISTENT AGGREGATOR is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Download the consistent-aggregator (free to public)