Impact of Decree n. 8.058/2013 on anti-dumping investigations in Brazil

Abstract

The enactment of Decree n. 8.058/2013 changed the procedures regarding anti-dumping investigations in Brazil. One of its purposes, as set forth in the 2011 Plan Brasil Maior, was to intensify trade defense measures in Brazil, reducing the investigation process’ time and granting early provisional duties. The present article (i) presents stylized facts and the research agenda about antidumping measures; (ii) shows the evolution of the legislation on trade defense measures in Brazil from 1994 to 2016; (iii) analyzes the main trends of trade defense in Brazil and in the world, based on data from the Department of Trade Defense (Decom) of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade (MDIC) and the World Bank’s Global Antidumping Database (GAD); and (iv) discusses, through statistical and econometric tests, the effects of Decree n. 8.058/2013 on anti-dumping investigations in Brazil. In particular, it is shown that the increase in number of investigation should be attributed to the Plan Brasil Maior instead of the Decree n. 8.058/2013; that the rate of approval did not increase because of the decree; and that investigation time has effectively been reduced, but it is still higher than the international comparison.

Law and Economics; international economics; trade policy; trade defense; anti-dumping investigations