antebellum U. S. iron industry
Subtitle: domestic production and foreign competition
By: Joseph H. Davis, Douglas A. Irwin.
Contributors: Irwin, Douglas A., 1962-; National Bureau of Economic Research.
Series: NBER working paper series -- no. 13451.; Working paper series (National Bureau of Economic Research) -- working paper no. 13451.
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Cambridge, Mass
Language: eng
Number of pages: 42
Subjects: Iron industry and trade -- United States -- History -- Mathematical models
Description: This paper presents new annual estimates of U.S. production of pig iron and imports of pig iron products dating back to 1827. These estimates are used to assess the vulnerability of the antebellum iron industry to foreign competition and the role of the tariff in fostering the industry's early development. Domestic pig iron production is found to be highly sensitive to changes in import prices. Although import price fluctuations had a much greater impact on U.S. production than changes in import duties, our estimates suggest that the tariff permitted domestic output to be about thirty to forty percent larger than it would have been without protection.
Notes: "September 2007"

Includes bibliographical references (p. 26-30).

Also available in PDF from the NBER World Wide Web site (www.nber.org).