Gilston on Trade
I'm not sure I know how to link to this properly, but Sam Gilston of the Washington Tariff & Trade Letter was on C-Span's Washington Journal talking U.S. trade policy. He comes on at about 2:07:30 of the program, so you have
Simon Lester
An Anti-Dumping Case on Toilet Paper
An opportunity for some good puns, as you can probably imagine, courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald.
More on Carbon Taxes
Somewhat related to yesterday's post on using consumption taxes to fight carbon emissions, Congressman Bob Inglis and economist Arthur Laffer argue in the NY Times for a carbon tax that is offset by income tax cuts. In doing so, they say:
The United States can’t solve climate
Trade and Carbon Emissions: Consumption versus Production Models
How can we effectively fight carbon emissions, while at the same time limiting trade conflicts that result from such measures? Geoff Carmody explains that the answer is to focus on consumption rather than production:
But an emissions production model only works if all nations sign on at the same time.
Investment Protectionism
Claude Barfield worries about recent actions taken to restrict foreign investment:
There is, however, one ominous sign of protectionism in an area that is mostly outside the scope of WTO trade rules: foreign direct investment (FDI). The leading advocate of investment protectionism is French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has proposed
Trade in Everything: Christmas Products
From Jonathan Dingel:
The US nominal average ad valorem tariff rate for (12 Days of) Christmas this year, which I calculated using the handy Harmonized (Tariff) Christmas schedule, is only 1.9%. I assume that Santa has MFN status.
Drums 4.8%
Pipes 0%
Milking machines 0%
Swans 1.8%
Krugman on Reducing the Trade Deficit
Paul Krugman writes:
A more plausible route to sustained recovery would be a drastic reduction in the U.S. trade deficit, which soared at the same time the housing bubble was inflating. By selling more to other countries and spending more of our own income on U.S.-produced goods,
Are Tariffs High Enough to Worry About?
In Foreign Affairs, Aaditya Mattoo and Arvind Subramanian argue:
But the issues now at stake in Doha are marginal, and, more important, Doha distracts attention from other matters of greater significance, such as the consequences for trade from misaligned exchange rates and environmental protection.
One of the points -- although in
Fuel and Energy Conference
Assuming the new Obama administration is going to take some action to fight climate change, how will this be done in accordance with trade rules? This is one of the issues to be addressed at he conference on "Fuel Rules - Energy, Emissions and the World Trade Organization," February
A "Progressive, Pro-Trade Agenda"
That's how Ron Kirk described the trade policy he would pursue at the news conference where his appointment was just announced.
ADDED: From the press conference that followed (my rough transcription):
Q: How do we keep jobs from going overseas?
Obama: Rebuild our infrastructure; get financial system working