The Heterogeneous Impact of Tariffs and Ntms on Total Factor Productivity for Indonesian Firms

Abstract

The Indonesian government has been working hard to engage with the world market as tariffs continue to decrease. However, the government seems to be following the global trend of relying on non-tariff measures (NTMs) to regulate the Indonesian market and protect the country’s industries. This paper assesses whether these measures hurt firms by limiting their access to better quality and cheaper foreign inputs. It builds on the findings of Amiti and Konings (2007) by assessing the impact of trade policy shocks on firms’ total factor productivity (TFP). It finds that tariffs and NTMs hurt firms’ TFP significantly and reduce employment. The impact is less severe for bigger firms, confirming the heterogeneous effect of trade policy. The results suggest unintended consequences of protectionism in the Indonesian market. Moreover, as the country seeks to boost foreign investment, more protectionism may be used to keep mark-ups in the domestic market high as an incentive.