Economic Growth and Optimal Tariffs

本文依據Barro (1990)與Benhabib-Farmer (1994)之模型架構為基礎，建構一個具勞動內生化的小型開放內生成長模型。藉此，分析關稅於靜止均衡下對經濟成長與福利之影響，並探討最適關稅的存在與否。經由本文分析，我們可以歸納出以下結論: 一、只有當經濟體系存在政府基礎建設支出外部性下，最適關稅存在且為正。而隨著中間財產品的不完全競爭程度越大，最適的關稅稅率也隨之越大。 二、關稅具有成長中立性的特質，然而對於勞動雇用量的影響方向則不確定。 三、不論經濟體系的規模報酬遞增程度足夠大或足夠小，民眾依據非經濟基本面所形成的信念將驅動景氣的波動。This thesis is written for two purposes. The first purpose is trace the optimal consumption tariff rate for a small country featuring both production externalities proposed by Barro (1990) and labor externalities proposed by Benhabib-Farmer (1994). We have found the following main results: (i) the optimal tariff would be positive if and only if the distortion of government infrastructure expenditure exists; (ii) the optimal tariff rate would be higher when the monopoly power of intermediate goods market is stronger; (iii) tariff is growth-neutral and has an ambiguous effect on labor employment. The second propose is to discuss the possibility of indeterminacy. We have shown that, dissimilar with Benhabib-Farmer (1994), local indeterminacy would occur in the dynamic system no matter when the elasticity of labor output is larger or low sufficiently