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Simon Lester

More Obama Trade Talk

From remarks made today: Now, I know that trade policy has been one of those longstanding divides between business and labor, between Democrats and Republicans. To those who would reflexively support every and any trade deal, I would say that our competitors have to play fair and our agreements have

Do The Olympics Help Establish International Sports Norms?

I'm a little out of my comfort zone when posting about things like the "transmission of international norms," but watching the Olympic hockey the other night, I caught a reference to an Olympic rule that was different from the one that applies in the NHL. (I

Is This The Trade Policy Change We've Been Waiting For?

Dan Ikenson of Cato notes the following from Congress Daily: Speaking at the USDA Annual Outlook Forum, [USTR Ron] Kirk said members of Congress “are more open and receptive” to the idea of creating a trans-Pacific agreement because it could be written from scratch. The Trans-Pacific Partnership comes “without any

Will Trade Aid Haiti?

From the AP: Jordanie Pinquie Rebeca leans forward and guides a piece of suit-jacket wool and its silky lining into a sewing machine, where — bat! bat! bat! — they're bound together to be hemmed. If she does this for eight hours, she will earn $3.09. Her boss will

The WTO Secretariat Versus Joe Stiglitz on WTO Financial Services Rules and the Financial Crisis

From a background note by the WTO Secretariat on financial services (not public as far as I can tell, so I'm not going to post the whole thing here): Measures that do not constitute a limitation on market access as defined by the Agreement, nor a limitation to

The Seal Products Case: The Impact of an International Seal Harvesting Agreement

Some in Canada hope that an international declaration on ethical seal hunting will solve the seal products dispute: In an effort to challenge the European Union’s trade ban on Canadian seal products, a Quebec senator is proposing that provinces and countries involved in the seal hunt sign on to

A Peaceful Expropriation?

From the WSJ: Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is seeking to purchase a local unit of France's Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA, a few weeks after he first ordered the expropriation of one of the retail chains controlled by the French company. Venezuela has started negotiations with Casino to buy an

Exclusive Rights, Monopoly Profits and Price Controls

Joel had a post a while back where he wondered if there is "anything in TRIPS that would restrict the ability of a state to set price controls on patented pharmaceutical products." He doubted there was. I was thinking about this issue recently, and while he is probably

In Defense of Child Labor

From economist Steven Landsburg: As any historian could tell you, no society has every pulled itself out of poverty without putting its children to work. Back in the early 19th century, when Americans were as poor as Bangladeshis are now, we were sending out children to work at about the

The Seal Protests Begin

Not sure why I'm on this email list, but here's a message I just received from "Free Trade Kills Animals": ANIMAL CRUELTY OLYMPICS: As Winter Games Begin in Vancouver, Activists Dressed as Canadian & Norwegian Prime Ministers, WTO General Secretary Club "Baby Seals&