Comércio internacional, barreiras não tarifárias e atrasos na entrega: os efeitos econômicos dos procedimentos de fronteira para a economia brasileira

Abstract

During the first rounds of negotiations on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), negotiations, discussions on the effects of tariffs applied by countries in the scope of international trade prevailed. The concern with the adoption of other protectionist measures emerged only in the Kennedy Round, in 1964, due to dumping practices in international trade. In subsequent rounds, negotiations on non-tariff barriers began to overlap with those for tariff reductions. The more complex and controversial issues generated impasses in the negotiations and, consequently, made the trade rounds longer. In parallel, the debate on the effects associated with different non-tariff barriers has grown in the economic literature. From the point of view of empirical studies, there are still challenges to assess the problem. First, non-tariff barriers are diverse and have their own specificities. Second, unlike taxes, they indirectly impact resource allocation and prices thus are not observed through a Social Accounting Matrix. Third, the mechanisms of appropriation are unknown, and the presence of a non-tariff barrier can be reversed in the form of income for importers or exporters, or even as inefficiency in trade. This thesis proposes to advance this discussion, bearing in mind the particularities of the Brazilian economy. Specifically, it seeks to assess the economic effects arising from trade barriers present in Brazil's trade flows. Obstacles to Brazilian trade are observed at a subnational level in terms of procedures for compliance with border requirements. The economic impacts related to the reduction of barriers to Brazilian trade are obtained from the use of ad valorem equivalents in a global computable general equilibrium (GTAP) model. In Scenario 1, delays at the border are reduced, so that the country's port and customs units achieve the same performance as the one listed as the most efficient. In Scenarios 2 and 3, there is an equivalent decrease in additional inspection costs and trade tariffs, respectively. The main results suggest that the country could achieve growth between 0.10% and 0.14% in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as well as gains of US$5.2 billion in terms of welfare. The most benefited sectors would be other meat, other crops and other animal products.