I think it's safe to say that there is some disagreement about whether quantitative easing will lead to economic growth.  Personally, I'm a skeptic.  I would rather focus on measures that promote long-term growth, for example those that can lead to productivity increases.  To me,

President Obama: "We want to be known not just for what we consume, but for what we produce. And the more we export abroad, the more jobs we create in America. In fact, every $1 billion we export supports more than 5,000 jobs at home. It is for

Following-up on Colin's post, I have been wondering for quite some time what the arguments were that the EU seal products ban violates EU law.  The Canadian seal fur people were kind enough to point me to their pleas here: The applicants put forward three pleas in

Economist Don Boudreaux argues that free trade is about more than just "stuff," it's about cultural diversity: One of the chief concerns expressed by anti-globalization activists is that freer trade leads to worldwide cultural homogeneity. Paris, France, according to this view, will become just like

Speaking of mercantilism, here's something from a Greta Van Susteren interview with Donald Trump: VAN SUSTEREN:  ... All right, the economy, the unemployment rate not getting better. If you were advising the president, what would you tell him to do? TRUMP: Obviously the word is "jobs." How

Scott Lincicome and Don Boudreaux cite to President Obama's op-ed in the NY Times last week -- titled "Exporting Our Way to Stability" -- and make the case that he is a mercantilist, or at least sounds like one.  Here's Scott: As nice as it

Over at Opinio Juris, Roger Alford writes the following on GATT Article XX and extraterritoriality: One of the most significant questions under GATT Article XX is whether States can violate WTO rules in order to protect against foreign harms. It is an issue that has plagued the GATT/WTO for

I'm on a break from jury duty this week-end, so I'll try to put together a couple posts.  Apologies if they are a bit jumbled; my mind is cluttered with non-IEL thoughts. First up, the issue of trade "rebalancing."  Leading up to