| ID | 116522 |
| Title Proper | Estimating transport costs and trade barriers in China |
| Other Title Information | direct evidence from Chinese agricultural traders |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Zhigang Li ; Xiaohua Yu ; Zeng, Yinchu ; Holst, Rainer |
| Publication | 2012. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Using a unique survey data on agricultural traders in China in 2004, this study provides direct evidence on the significance of inter-regional trade barriers and their key components. Our major findings are as follows. (1) The trade barriers within China are fairly small, accounting for about 20% of trade value. (2) Transport and non-transport costs respectively contribute 42% and 58% to the trade barriers. (3) Labor and transport-related taxes are the two largest proportions of total transport costs, and respectively account for 35% and 30%. (4) Artificial trade barriers created by the government are not sizable as we perceived. (5) Road quality is crucial for reducing transport costs within China: increasing transport speed by 1 km per hour, the total transport costs for Chinese agricultural traders would decrease by 0.6%, mainly due to improved fuel-burning efficiency and reduced labor requirement. |
| `In' analytical Note | China Economic Review Vol. 23, No.4; Dec 2012: p.1003-1010 |
| Journal Source | China Economic Review Vol. 23, No.4; Dec 2012: p.1003-1010 |
| Key Words | Transport Costs ; China ; Agricultural Traders ; Infrastructure |