Agricultural Policy as a Social Engineering Tool

Agricultural Policy as a Social Engineering Tool

Edmund M. Tavemier and Benjamin M. Onyango

Introduction

Policymakers routinely engage in social engineering efforts to accomplish public policy
goals. These goals are often pursued with little input from the constituents on whose
behalf they are proposed or with research examining whether support for such a policy
even exists. Given the global importance of agricultural trade, the issue of whether
agricultural policy should be used, as a social engineering tool is surely nontrivial. Yet
there exists a paucity of research examining whether countries should restrict trade to
pursue domestic, economic, and social policy goals even if the policies affect
international trade.

Trade restrictions may take several forms. These forms include variations of
tariffs and quotas that are used to protect domestic industries from import competition.
Domestic industries may also be temporarily protected from foreign competition by
safeguard measures. These measures -either tariffs or quotas - may be used to restrict
imports of a particular commodity as long as imports of that commodity have increased
and the higher import level has caused or threaten to cause some harm to the domestic
industry.

The World Trade Organization Framework Agreement that negotiators accepted
in July 2004, and augmented at the December 2005 Ministerial meetings in Hong Kong
provides guidelines on the commitments that address issues related to direct and indirect
export subsidies, domestic support and market access among others. Subsidies -direct
production or export- may also be used to restrict trade. Direct production subsidies

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