Interwar trade policy in the Netherlands and the Netherlands East Indies

Beschreibung

The 1930s was a period of substantial deglobalisation and rising protectionism worldwide. Nevertheless, the impact of interwar trade policies is still debated. This column analyses interwar protectionism in the Netherlands and its largest colony, the Netherlands East Indies, using detailed information on tariffs, quotas, and other trade interventions. It finds that average Dutch tariffs were low before 1930 and increased only modestly during the 1930s. Much of the increase in Dutch ad valorem tariffs was accounted for by deflation. Furthermore, Dutch trade policies benefited the metropole much more than the East Indies during this period.