t he objective of this study is using the markov switching vector autoregressive method and regime dependent impulse response functions to measure the pass-through of world food prices to consumer price index in iran from 1990 to 2013. with respect to information criteria and the log-likelihood ratio statistic, msia(2)-var(1) model has a better fit to data than other models. the magnitude of th...

Since late 2006, biofuel policies have caused high grain/oilseed prices by creating a link between crop and biofuel policies. The value of agricultural trade has increased sharply, mostly because of high prices, not increased trade volume. Biofuel policies have little to do with the agenda of the Doha trade negotiations but have had indirect effects in that production subsidies and import barri...

Krugman (1979) brought the study of varieties into sharp focus by presenting a simple generalequilibrium model in which countries gain from trade through the import of new varieties. Since then, economists have been hampered in their ability to quantify the impact of new varieties on national welfare by the econometric and data hurdles that need to be surmounted. In this paper, we document some...

This Economic Letter looks at the relationship among changes in the exchange rate value of the dollar and in import prices and overall consumer prices, with a particular focus on the current circumstances. It appears that the lower value of the dollar at this point is affecting U.S. prices less than it has historically.The reasons for the difference include changes in trading partners, changes ...

This paper presents new estimates of annual U.S. production of pig iron dating back to 1827. These estimates are used to assess the vulnerability of the antebellum iron industry to foreign competition and the role of the tariff in fostering the industry’s early development. Domestic pig iron production is found to be highly sensitive to changes in import prices. Although import price fluctuatio...