Substitutability between US domestic and imported forest products: The Armington approach
Academic Article
Overview
Additional Document Info
View All
Overview
abstract
This article estimates the Armington elasticities of substitution between US domestic and imported forest products. The results indicate that US domestic and foreign forest products are far from perfect substitutes for each other. The low substitutability calls into question the effectiveness of import restrictions that alter the relative price between domestic output and imports and the trade impact assessments that impose the law of one price. The degree of substitutability is higher in the long run than in the short run and varies across product aggregation levels. The elasticity estimates, though remaining relatively stable for most forest products, show an increase since the late 1980s for the overall forest product, implying that US domestic and imported forest products have, in general, become more substitutable over time. Copyright 2006 by the Society of American Foresters.