논문 상세보기
pp.31-47
Since the early 2000s, Korea has pursued multiple free trade agreements (FTAs) concurrently, concluding 22 FTAs with 59 countries as of August 2025. While tariff reductions under such agreements are widely recognized for boosting trade volumes, their potential to enhance consumer welfare through greater product diversity is often overlooked. The introduction of previously unavailable varieties broadens consumer choice, thereby improving welfare. This study quantifies changes in consumer welfare resulting from diversity in imports of processed fishery products by employing an import price index framework. Building on Feenstra’s (1994) theoretical model derived from a CES utility function with a “love of variety” assumption, we apply the Sato-Vartia (1976) and Feenstra (1994) indices to Korean import data to estimate price index changes and diversity gains over the study period. As a result of the analysis, prepared or preserved caviar (HS160431) was identified as the fishery product with the greatest increase in product diversity, corresponding to a consumer welfare gain equivalent to a 55% price reduction. The next largest gain was observed in prepared or preserved tuna, skipjack, and bonito (HS160414), where the expansion in product variety generated a consumer welfare improvement equivalent to a 14.7% price decrease. On the other hand, some products showed reduced diversity, leading to consumer welfare losses. For instance, prepared or preserved lobster (HS160530) recorded a diversity benefit of -7.4%. These figures indicate that decreases in product variety translated into consumer utility losses equivalent to price increases. Overall, among the 21 goods for which the Feenstra index was calculated, 10 exhibited positive diversity benefits, 10 showed reductions in diversity, and 1 showed no change. This suggests that more than half of the imported prepared fishery products require improvement in terms of product variety. This research is the first to measure welfare effects of import diversity in the processed fishery product sector in Korea.
I. 서 론
Ⅱ. 분석 모형
III. 분석 자료
IV. 분석 결과
1. Sato-Vatia 가격 지수
2. 람다 비율
3. Feenstra 지수
4. 다양성 이익(Gains from Varieties)
Ⅴ. 결 론
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