Conventional wisdom holds that anti-dumping cases increase during economic downturns. Chad Bown's latest research seems to confirm this:
Newly available data tracking the first of these trade policies - the initiation of new antidumping investigations and new antidumping measures imposed - show a marked increase in 2008 corresponding with the timing of the spread of the global economic crisis. Overall, the number of initiations of new antidumping investigations in 2008 increased by 31 per cent compared to 2007. The number of new antidumping measures applied in 2008 increased by 19 per cent compared to 2007. Developing countries dominated use of antidumping (73% of all new investigations) in 2008, and developing country exporters were the most frequent target (78% of all new investigations).
