Tariff Rate Uncertainty and the Structure of Supply Chains
Working Paper 32138
DOI 10.3386/w32138
Issue Date
We show that reducing the probability of a trade war promotes long-term importer-exporter relationships that ensure provision of high-quality inputs via incentive premia. Empirically, we introduce a method for distinguishing between these Japanese versus spot-market (i.e., American) relationships in customs data, show that their use varies intuitively across trading partners and products, and find that Japanese importing from China increases after a reduction in the possibility of a trade war. Extending the standard general equilibrium trade model to encompass potential trade wars and relational contracts, we estimate that eliminating Japanese procurement reduces welfare about a third as much as moving to autarky.