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Simon Lester

Beyond "Trade Policy," Towards "Integration Policy"

In the Financial Post, some well known trade experts argue for deeper Canada - U.S. integration: That a big idea on Canada-U.S. trade is needed there is little doubt. ... "We reached the high point in the year 2000 in volume in terms of trucks and human traffic,

Trade in Everything: Swiss Army Knives

The title of the post is a bit mis-leading, as it appears there are some things that are not to be traded: Swiss soldiers will continue to pack knives made in Switzerland, after the defence ministry decided not to have them produced them abroad. The NZZ am Sonntag and Sonntag

Job Losses from Trade vs. Non-Trade

We've talked before on this blog about whether job losses from trade deserve greater compensation than job losses from other things. Here is a real world example of the latter that I came across: Polaroid Corp. is dropping the technology it pioneered long before digital photography rendered instant

Anti-Dumping Reform

From a post about anti-dumping over at VoxEU: Even leaving aside legal details, our recent work and other studies suggest some obvious starting points for any reform of the EU antidumping system. Antidumping instruments that are simply another form of protection leave too much discretion in the hands of the

Romney Goes Out on a Populist Note

In pulling out of the Presidential race, Mitt Romney said the following in his withdrawal speech: The attack on our culture is not our sole challenge. We face economic competition unlike anything we have ever known before. China and Asia are emerging from centuries of poverty. Their people are plentiful,

Another Argument Against Ethanol Subsidies

Putting the trade issues aside, there is an environmental argument against corn ethanol subsidies: The widespread use of ethanol from corn could result in nearly twice the greenhouse gas emissions as the gasoline it would replace because of expected land-use changes, researchers concluded Thursday. The study challenges the rush to

"the U.S. dollar just ain't what it used to be"

From Reuters: In the latest example that the U.S. dollar just ain't what it used to be, some shops in New York City have begun accepting euros and other foreign currency as payment for merchandise. "We had decided that money is money and we'll

Junk Mail, the Environment, and Market Access

Over at the Conglomerate, Gordon Smith complains about all the junk mail he gets and says: "... I am willing to vote for the presidential candidate who proclaims, 'I look forward to nailing the going out of business sign on the front door of the United States Postal Service.

So What Does the U.S.-EU Gambling Settlement Say?

Writer Ed Brayton tried to find out, to no avail: I immediately filed a Freedom of Information Act request for a copy of the agreement and, predictably, the USTR is denying that request. And just in case you thought this administration had hit rock bottom on making dishonest and mendacious

Trade in Everything: Orchestral Manoeuvres in North Korea

From the AP: Her mother's town was briefly occupied by North Korea . Her father survived the communists during the Korean War by hiding in the mountains. "It just kind of feels that the stuff that happened in the past or what's going on there makes