Trade, Exchange Rate, and Agricultural Pricing Policies in Brazil. Volume 2.Appendixes: Data and Methodology

摘要

A large number of government interventions occured in the agricultural sector ofBrazil, and both direct and indirect intervention helped to distort prices. To evaluate the net effect of this array of policies, various measures of protection were calculated. The results indicate that, in general, the agricultural sector was taxed in Brazil when compared to the nonagricultural sector. Indirect causes, mainly exchange rate overvaluation, were the most important determinants of the level of taxation. Substantial losses of production were estimated as a consequence of the discriminatory policies of the government. The overall impact on the trade balance was also significant. Inflation was clearly one important concern of the government in its price interventions. However, a high degree of randomness in the behavior of the government is also seen in the econometric results.