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Tariff Exemptions and Trade Diversion: Evidence from U.S. Section 232 Aluminum Tariffs in 2018 and 2025

Andreasson, Pinja LU (2026) EOSK12 20261
Department of Economic History
Abstract
Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act authorizes the President of the United States to impose tariffs on certain goods if they are considered to impose threats to national security. In March 2018, Section 232 was enacted for the first time in over 30 years when President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on certain aluminum products. The initial tariffs implemented in 2018 escalated into a near-universal policy shock in 2025, with doubling tariff rates affecting nearly all sourcing countries. Existing research has extensively examined the price-, employment- and welfare- effects following this, leaving the effects on country-level composition of U.S. aluminum sources largely unexamined. This study therefore examines to what extent the Section... (More)
Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act authorizes the President of the United States to impose tariffs on certain goods if they are considered to impose threats to national security. In March 2018, Section 232 was enacted for the first time in over 30 years when President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on certain aluminum products. The initial tariffs implemented in 2018 escalated into a near-universal policy shock in 2025, with doubling tariff rates affecting nearly all sourcing countries. Existing research has extensively examined the price-, employment- and welfare- effects following this, leaving the effects on country-level composition of U.S. aluminum sources largely unexamined. This study therefore examines to what extent the Section 232 tariff revisions of 2018 and 2025 separately affected the country-level sourcing patterns of U.S. aluminum imports. (Less)
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author
Andreasson, Pinja LU
supervisor
organization
course
EOSK12 20261
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Tariffs, Section 232 Aluminum Tariffs, Trade policy, Difference-in-Differences (DiD), Country-level Sourcing.
language
English
id
9243937
date added to LUP
2026-09-07 13:50:08
date last changed
2026-09-07 13:50:08
@misc{9243937,
  abstract     = {{Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act authorizes the President of the United States to impose tariffs on certain goods if they are considered to impose threats to national security. In March 2018, Section 232 was enacted for the first time in over 30 years when President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on certain aluminum products. The initial tariffs implemented in 2018 escalated into a near-universal policy shock in 2025, with doubling tariff rates affecting nearly all sourcing countries. Existing research has extensively examined the price-, employment- and welfare- effects following this, leaving the effects on country-level composition of U.S. aluminum sources largely unexamined. This study therefore examines to what extent the Section 232 tariff revisions of 2018 and 2025 separately affected the country-level sourcing patterns of U.S. aluminum imports.}},
  author       = {{Andreasson, Pinja}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Tariff Exemptions and Trade Diversion: Evidence from U.S. Section 232 Aluminum Tariffs in 2018 and 2025}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}