Testing Stolper-Samuelson Theorem in the Indian Context

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the Stolper-Samuelson Theorem in the context of India which is one of the central results of Heckscher-Ohlin theory. This theorem provides a definite way of analysing the effect of change in the prices of goods on the prices of factors of production due to tariffs. Since the theorem has been couched in terms of increasing tariffs however, the paper attempts to look for obverse of this theorem by emphasising on a certain issue. Since tariffs are declining, then it is argued that import-substituting industries would suffer at the cost of export-promoting industries. The study deals with three variables-Factor Price Ratio (FPR), Terms of Trade (TOT) and Wholesale Price Index (WPI) covering period 1992-2010. Year has been taken as the exogenous variable. The methodology has been developed for the construction of semi-log and multiple regression models to analyse the impact of Terms of Trade on Factor Price Ratio. The paper shows that Stolper-Samuelson Theorem does not hold good in the case of India and it is the Wholesale Price Index which actually shows a favourable impact on FPR.