83: Tariffs for Sale and Identity Politics
Gene Grossman joins to discuss how political economists explain trade protectionism.
Episodes
Trade Talks
Chad P. Bown (Peterson Institute for International Economics) hosts a podcast about the economics of international trade and policy. From trade wars to trade deals, this podcast covers trade developments with insights and economic analysis from one of the world's top trade geeks.
Episodes
82: How Big Is the USMCA? It’s Uncertain
Keynes and Bown discuss the US government report and economic impact assessment of the potential NAFTA replacement.
81: National Security and Trade – The Fear of Imitation
Mona Pinchis-Paulsen joins to discuss the origins and history of using national security threats to justify trade restrictions.
80: Zeroing: The Biggest WTO Threat You’ve Never Heard Of (#45)
Keynes and Bown explain how a tiny part of US antidumping tariff calculations threatens the entire trading system.
79: A President Explains Mexican Trade
Ernesto Zedillo joins to discuss 40 years of Mexico’s trade, the impact of import substitution policies, NAFTA, and the USMCA.
78: Trade Talks Does Its Taxes
Kimberly Clausing joins Keynes and Bown to discuss today’s economic and policy challenges in taxing multinational companies.
77: Happy Tariffversary
Keynes and Bown discuss new research on the economics and politics behind President Trump’s tariffs and the resulting retaliation.
76: Trump versus India: Fighting over Which Poor Countries Are Special
The Trump administration pulled India and Turkey from the US Generalized System of Preference, a program that offers zero tariffs to imports from poor countries. Keynes and Bown explain the decision and how it fits into a broader battle between rich and poor countries around special and differential treatment and how it is holding up progress on WTO negotiations.
75: A US-China Farm Subsidy Fight at the WTO
Not to be overshadowed by the Trump-China trade war, the WTO issues an important legal ruling on Chinese subsidies. Soumaya Keynes and Chad Bown describe how the Americans had challenged Chinese payments to farmers of corn, wheat and rice, as well as implications of the WTO ruling for US-China trade relations and the multilateral system.
74: Trade Talks Tough – Sanctions on North Korea (#14)
Keynes and Bown replay their November 2017 interview with Marcus Noland about one of the most closed economies in the world.
73: Soybeans and the Trade War Fallout
Keynes and Bown explain the upheaval in American and global soybean markets stemming from the US-China trade conflict.
72: Richard Baldwin on Disruption, Technology and Trade
Richard Baldwin joins Keynes and Bown to discuss the past and future of globalization, new technologies, and social upheaval.
71: Money Matters for Trade
Kalina Manova joins Keynes and Bown to discuss how companies’ ability to borrow affects trade.
70: Nicholas Lardy on the Chinese Economy
Nicholas Lardy joins Keynes and Bown to discuss the changing role of the state and private firms in China’s economic development.
69: Slowbalization
Keynes and Bown discuss what is behind the slowdown of global trade, supply chain expansion, and international commerce.
68: Brexit Votes for Uncertainty
Keynes and Bown discuss the rocky departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union. Sam Lowe (Centre for European Reform) joins for an update on the latest political developments as Britain approaches the March...
67: Blood Trade
Keynes and Bown speak with Alice Fulwood (The Economist) about what is behind the $150 billion of annual trade in blood plasma products. They cut through the mystery of the exploding trade flows by explaining...
66: Paul Krugman Talks Trade
Keynes and Bown sit down with Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman (CUNY and New York Times) in a wide-ranging interview about international trade. They discuss NAFTA, labor standards, and the USMCA (2:25); the current toxicity...
65: What Would a Trump-China Deal Look Like?
Keynes and Bown explain the recent 90-day agreement between Presidents Trump and Xi that puts on hold further tariff escalation between the United States and China. They speak with Mark Wu (Harvard Law) and former...
64: (Trade) Dealing with Europe
Keynes and Bown speak with veteran trade journalist Alan Beattie (Financial Times) about the complexities of negotiating with the European Union on trade. They discuss the EU’s dealings with the UK over Brexit and the...
63: Can Trump and the EU Strike a Deal?
Keynes and Bown discuss the prospect of negotiations between the United States and the European Union on a trade deal that would meet President Trump’s objectives of zero tariffs, zero nontariff barriers, and zero subsidies....
62: Randomized Trade
Keynes and Bown speak with Amit Khandelwal (Columbia Business School) about the impact that exporting has on firm productivity. They discuss his evidence from a randomized control trial that new foreign market access improved how...
61: Trade, Firms, Profits, and Market Power: It’s Complicated
Keynes and Bown speak with incoming World Bank Chief Economist Penny Goldberg (Yale University) about her research on how trade liberalization affects consumers and firms when firms have market power. They discuss the impact that...
60: America May Be Doing Away with WTO Dispute Settlement
Keynes and Bown talk with former WTO Appellate Body member Jennifer Hillman (Georgetown Law) about WTO dispute settlement. They describe the procedural, philosophical, and judicial complaints the United States has with the current way of addressing...
59: A Hard Border from History
Keynes and Bown talk with Stephen Redding (Princeton University) about his research on the border between East and West Germany erected in the mid-20th century. They discuss the loss of market access for cities near...
58: Woodward. Trump. Fear. Trade Is Bad.
Keynes and Bown talk with best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Bob Woodward about his latest book Fear: Trump in the White House. From snatching trade agreement withdrawal letters off the president’s desk to...
57: It’s Fun to Discuss the USMCA—the New NAFTA
Keynes and Bown describe key elements of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, announced on October 1, 2018. Beneath the spin, they analyze what the deal really does, including where new market access has been...
56: Do You Like Trade? Tariffs? Trade Deals? China?
Keynes and Bown speak with Bruce Stokes (Pew Research Center) about recent poll results on public attitudes toward trade. They discuss how Americans feel about trade and trade agreements, China, differences between self-identified Democrats and...
55: Is India a Trade Troublemaker?
Keynes and Bown speak with Arvind Subramanian (PIIE, Harvard Kennedy School) about the massive changes in India’s trade policy since the 1980s. They examine the scope and impact of India’s trade liberalization; the importance of...
54: Can Trump Withdraw from Trade Deals?
Keynes and Bown examine the legal arguments surrounding President Trump’s threats to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement and World Trade Organization. They speak with legal experts Gary Hufbauer (PIIE), Rachel Brewster (Duke...