Trade Talks

Soumaya Keynes of The Economist and PIIE Senior Fellow Chad P. Bown talk with PIIE Senior Fellow Caroline Freund about her research on big firms, billionaires, international trade, and economic development. First up is her...

Soumaya Keynes of The Economist and PIIE Senior Fellow Chad P. Bown talk with PIIE Senior Fellow Caroline Freund about her research on big firms, billionaires, international trade, and economic development. First up is her recent book "Rich People Poor Countries: The Rise of Emerging-Market Tycoons and Their Mega Firms" and the evidence behind the importance of being big in international trade. They also probe the downside of unproductive wealth, the rise of inefficient behemoths in the form of state-owned enterprises, and implications for global concentration. Finally, they debate what policymakers should do to address the good and bad of big firms and the ultra rich.

PIIE Senior Fellow Chad P. Bown and Soumaya Keynes of the Economist examine the new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). They discuss how 11 persistent countries pulled the original TPP deal from...

PIIE Senior Fellow Chad P. Bown and Soumaya Keynes of the Economist examine the new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). They discuss how 11 persistent countries pulled the original TPP deal from President Trump's dustbin and pushed toward agreement by suspending certain important elements. They also speak with PIIE Senior Fellow Jeffrey J. Schott about the motivation behind the agreement for countries like Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Mexico, and Canada and what the United States stands to lose economically from the president's choice to pull out of the Pacific deal.

PIIE Senior Fellow Chad P. Bown and Soumaya Keynes of the Economist examine the impact of international trade on economic activity within developing countries like India, Vietnam, and Brazil. They talk with Professor Nina Pavcnik...

PIIE Senior Fellow Chad P. Bown and Soumaya Keynes of the Economist examine the impact of international trade on economic activity within developing countries like India, Vietnam, and Brazil. They talk with Professor Nina Pavcnik of Dartmouth College about her research on how trade liberalization has impacted workers and firms, what affects their ability to adjust, and the implications for poverty reduction and inequality. They also discuss the challenges and domestic policy implications of the pockets of nonadjustment that are found—not only in America—but even in the developing world.

PIIE Senior Fellow Chad P. Bown and Soumaya Keynes of The Economist examine what a no-deal Brexit would look like, or the economic implications if Britain were to split from the European Union without a...

PIIE Senior Fellow Chad P. Bown and Soumaya Keynes of The Economist examine what a no-deal Brexit would look like, or the economic implications if Britain were to split from the European Union without a new trade deal. They talk with Professor Swati Dhingra of the London School of Economics about her research on what reverting to World Trade Organization (WTO) tariffs would mean for the United Kingdom. They also discuss looming nontariff barriers to trade in sectors like pharmaceuticals, aviation, and financial services.

On the occasion of its 70th anniversary, PIIE Senior Fellow Chad P. Bown and Soumaya Keynes of The Economist focus on the origins of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, or GATT. They speak...

On the occasion of its 70th anniversary, PIIE Senior Fellow Chad P. Bown and Soumaya Keynes of The Economist focus on the origins of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, or GATT. They speak with the authors of "The Genesis of the GATT" (Cambridge University Press)--Professors Douglas Irwin, Petros Mavroidis, and Alan Sykes--about the gripping lead-up to the signing of the transformative trade agreement on October 30, 1947. The American Smoot-Hawley tariffs, British Imperial Preferences, World War II, Lend-Lease Act, John Maynard Keynes, James Meade, the Lacock Scholars, and many others all show up to ultimately shape the deal that governed the multilateral system over the next 70 years.

Soumaya Keynes of the Economist and PIIE Senior Fellow Chad P. Bown focus on the economic tension arising through the ongoing NAFTA—or North American Free Trade Agreement—talks between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The...

Soumaya Keynes of the Economist and PIIE Senior Fellow Chad P. Bown focus on the economic tension arising through the ongoing NAFTA—or North American Free Trade Agreement—talks between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The episode also dives into the question of how integrated the NAFTA economy is, exploring value-added in the hotly contested automobile industry. The trade geeks also provide rapid-fire answers to questions from listeners who were asked "What else do you want to know about NAFTA?"

Soumaya Keynes of The Economist and PIIE Senior Fellow Chad P. Bown discuss an ongoing trade dispute involving large civil aircraft jets, Bombardier and Boeing, as well as the governments of Canada, the United Kingdom,...

Soumaya Keynes of The Economist and PIIE Senior Fellow Chad P. Bown discuss an ongoing trade dispute involving large civil aircraft jets, Bombardier and Boeing, as well as the governments of Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The dispute involves subsidies, the Trump administration's potential imposition of tariffs, and the high-stakes politics of putting Quebec and Northern Ireland jobs at risk.

PIIE Senior Fellow Chad P. Bown and Soumaya Keynes of The Economist focus this week on the costs of increased uncertainty generated by President Trump’s threat to rip up US trade agreements as well as...