The IMF’s AREAER yearly reports are freely and digitally available online from 1949. We constructed the dataset using the narrative record included in the yearly reports, complemented with information available in the AREAER online database (from 1999 onwards). We score each sub-indicator of MATR as one if a restriction is present in a particular country for a particular year, and zero otherwise. The measure can be easily updated annually using AREAER online database.

MATR is based on the IMF’s AREAER binary variables related to (i) exchange measures; (ii) arrangements for payments and receipts; (iii) imports and imports payments; (iv) exports and exports proceeds, and (v) payment and proceeds from invisible transfers and current transfers.  Each of these categories is further decomposed in several sub-categories. The simplest version of MATR is the unweighted sum of up to twenty-two possible variables. The underlying series have been chosen to represent the multitude of ways that countries restrict international trade of goods and services.  They include tariffs, non-tariff barriers, and restrictions on requiring, obtaining and using foreign exchange for current transactions.