Used Clothes as Development Aid: The Political Economy of Rags (SIDA)

(introduction...)

Introduction

(introduction...)

Four possible positions

Our plan of analysis

Possible empirical questions

Theoretical questions

The organization of the report

Our conclusions

Acknowledgments

Part I: The used-clothes trade

Chapter 1: Used-clothes exports

Worldwide textile and clothing trade, including Third World exports

Worldwide gross and net used-clothes exports, 1984-'93

Twenty-four net used-clothes exporting countries, 1984-'93

Gross exports of 127 countries or trading territories in 1990

Commercial used-clothes exporters: the ''rag merchants''

Charitable used-clothes (and other) exports

Sweden's used-clothes collections, exports, and imports

Summary and conclusions

Chapter 2: Used-Clothes Imports

(introduction...)

Ninety net used-clothes importing countries, 1984-'93

Gross imports of 181 countries or trading territories in 1990

Distribution of used clothes in Rwanda

Distribution of used clothes in Zambia

Summary and conclusions

Chapter 3: The general context of the used-clothes trade

(introduction...)

Popular images: producer organizations, labor unions, and the mass media

A possibly more balanced, African media view

National government used-clothes trade policies and practices

Summary and conclusions

Chapter 4: NGO attitudes and involvement in the used-clothes trade

(introduction...)

The naked truth (1988): PS and UFF used-clothes exports to Mozambique

Another slightly out-of-date example: the Swedish Red Cross (1992)

Combining commercial used-clothes sales with development projects (UFF)

Non-Swedish and international NGO attitudes towards used-clothes exports

Commercial ''for-profit'' involvement in used-clothes collection and distribution

Summary and conclusions

Part II-A: Analysis of the effects of the used-clothes trade in general

Chapter 5: Theoretical welfare effects of unsubsidized imports

(introduction...)

Initial assumptions: Perfect markets (full employment of resources), free trade

Why are used-clothes imports welfare-maximizing? (Real goods are real income)

Our analytic strategy

Government support via production subsidy to capture positive externality

Other arguments for protection of infant industries

Production subsidy effects on exporting, and benefits

Less than fully functioning markets: Unemployment

Government support via import tariffs

The negative side-effect of tariffs

Less than fully functioning markets: Unemployment again

Conclusions

Chapter 6: Empirical welfare effects of unsubsidized imports

(introduction...)

Haggblade's analysis of the economic effects of used-clothes imports in Rwanda

Global extensions of Haggblade's analysis, including a multi-market model

Conclusion

Chapter 7: A brief history and sociology of the used-clothes trade

(introduction...)

LDCs: Hansen's study of used clothes in modern Zambia

The re-use of second-hand goods in modern industrial countries

Lemire's study of the used-clothes trade in eighteenth century Britain

Used clothes for disaster relief

Conclusions

Part II-B: Analysis of the effects of subsidizing used-clothes imports

Chapter 8: Theoretical welfare effects of subsidized imports

(introduction...)

Introduction of a freight subsidy

The positive externality (infant industry) argument again

Less than fully functioning markets: Unemployment yet again

Distributional effects: Benefiting the poor

Import subsidy effects on exporting, and benefits

If there is no domestic clothes production

Dumping, and other cautions regarding who gets the subsidy, and how

Conclusions

Chapter 9: Alternative costs and best use of cash and clothes

(introduction...)

The cost of the freight subsidy

The alternative cost of the freight subsidy: Cash

Best use of the cash

Best use of the clothes

Situations where freight subsidies would be warranted: Catastrophes, no supply

Conclusions

Part III: Summary and policy recommendations

Summary

Policy recommendations

Appendices

Appendix 1: Terms of reference for the study

Appendix 2: Statistical tables

Appendix 3: Notes on statistical problems and their implications

Appendix 4: Some philosophical notes

Appendix 5: Some labor and mass media views

Appendix 6: National trade policies

Appendix 7: Swedish NGOs

Appendix 8: Food aid as an example of commodity aid

Appendix 9: The used-clothes trade in eighteenth century britain

References