COVID is teaching hard lessons on trade policy
The U.S. implemented the most measures of any country studied, relying primarily on subsidies. India and South Africa relied more heavily on trade constraints, like tariffs and quantitative restrictions, reflecting…
Why ‘Confrontation’ with China Cannot Be Avoided
The Biden administration has since updated this term to “strategic competition,” promising to prioritize the most strategic, or important, areas of competition. But competition is not the best word in…
U.S. hikes duty on Canadian softwood lumber to 17.9% — twice the old rate
The U.S. says Canadian lumber producers dump their product into the U.S. at a lower price than American lumber companies can because they are subsidized. So the U.S. puts a…
Every Step of the Global Supply Chain Is Going Wrong — All at Once
The time it takes for goods originating in Shanghai to reach their destinations through the San Pedro Bay ports has more than doubled to 62 days since January 2020, according…
The Strange Career of Paul Krugman
Krugman’s prestige and skill as a polemicist helped persuade elite media outlets, think tanks, government agencies, and business institutions that they could ignore the experts from varied backgrounds who were…
U.S. Trade Policy: Over Half a Century of Unreciprocated Tariff Cuts
The US held high tariff rates from 1816 until the middle of the 20th century. The US then cut tariffs more than most countries, often unilaterally, without also requiring tariff…
WTO declares US tariffs on Spanish olives illegal
The United States did not comply with international trade rules when it imposed rates between 30% and 44% on imports of Spanish black olives, the World Trade Organization ruled on…
U.S. Court Reopens Solar-Tariff Loophole That Trump Killed
A U.S. trade court has reinstated a tariff exemption on some imported solar panels, a decision that benefits domestic clean-energy developers. As a result of the court’s ruling, all of…
Asia Solar Manufacturers Soar After U.S. Says No to Tariff Probe
Chinese solar manufacturers are surging after the U.S. rejected a request to investigate whether they were circumventing existing tariffs, a move that critics warned would drive up costs for clean…
The rise of populism in advanced economies: blame it on globalisation?
Protectionism and isolationism have been growing throughout the world, in what became known as the backlash against globalisation. Iinternational trade is not the only factor causing the upheaval. Society must…