Price Distortions in Agriculture and Their Effects: An International Comparison

摘要

The central thesis of this paper is that agricultural pricing policies pursued by developing countries produce effects which are diametrically opposite to those produced by the pricing policies of many developed countries, and that the policies of both are costly in terms of global welfare. In general, the agricultural sector in developing countries is heavily taxed while that in the developed countries receives substantial price protection. The effects of agricultural price distortions on output, consumption, trade and rural employment are estimated for nine countries. (Copyright (c) 1979 by the World Bank.)