On February 26, the American Bar Association’s Center for Human Rights issued a white paper on the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which concludes that “the proposed ATT is consistent with the Second Amendment.” This conclusion neglects important facts about the treaty and the processes surrounding it, which we will …
Senator Max Baucus (D–MT), chairman of Senate Finance Committee, urged strong and unrelenting political leadership in pursuing a comprehensive free trade pact between the U.S. and the European Union. He highlighted the importance of choosing an effective and experienced leader as America’s next trade czar in his recent Financial Times …
A new report published in the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review provides strong evidence that the Administration’s obsessive focus on boosting exports as a way to help U.S. manufacturers is just plain wrong. The study debunks the idea that changes in either imports or exports affect growth in …
Trade is again on President Obama’s agenda thanks to some high-profile mentions in his State of the Union address last Tuesday. According to the President, the proposed Trans-Pacific and Transatlantic Partnerships should boost exports and create American jobs. Exports, however, are only one side of the coin. Free trade also …
Japanese gross domestic product (GDP) fell for the third straight quarter (October–December) and was essentially flat for 2012 as a whole. This continues two decades of stagnation in annual output—Japan’s annual GDP in 2012 is essentially the same as 20 years ago. Stagnation is part of what motivated new Prime …
On February 8, the government will release data for 2012 imports and exports. This annual release often ignites a debate about trade policy. But among economists, there’s not much debate over the benefits of free trade. The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business regularly surveys economic experts. Last year, …
If Congress wants to create more jobs this holiday shopping season, it can start by eliminating many Depression-era tariffs on shoes. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 186,110 Americans work for shoe stores, an industry that generates $4.6 billion in annual wages. Many people who work for large department …
The recently concluded presidential campaign contained a substantial amount of China-bashing from two candidates fighting over who would be tougher on trade. In reality, getting tough on trade would mean getting tough on poor people and destroying U.S. jobs. A working paper from University of Chicago scholars Christian Broda and …
