Categories
Economics & Trade Policy

Trade and Murder: The Misfortunes of San Pedro Sula and Ciudad Juárez

This op-ed was originally posted on the Global Economic Governance 2012 Blog.  It can be found here: https://globaleconomicgovernance2012.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/trade-and-murder-the-misfortunes-of-the-cities-of-san-pedro-sula-and-ciudad-juarez/#more-67 Honduras’ industrial capital, San Pedro Sula, generates two-thirds of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to The Economist. The city of 1.2 million people is one of the top five exporters of clothes by volume to the United States, […]

Categories
Economics & Trade Policy

Russia Joins the 90%

This op-ed was originally posted on the Global Economic Governance 2012 Blog.  It can be found here: https://globaleconomicgovernance2012.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/russia-joins-the-90/ On August 22, 2012, after the longest accession process in the history of the international body, the Russian Federation became the 157th nation to officially join the World Trade Organization. It took 18 years, but the Working Party (WP), […]

Categories
Economics & Trade Policy

The Truth About Payday Lending

Next time you drive around town, count the number of payday lenders you see. Signs for title loans are likely to pop up every other block. If you have never used a payday loan before, then you might be as ignorant as I was about how they operate. The Pew Charitable Trusts recently released its report "Payday […]

Categories
Economics & Trade Policy

Build Trade Relations with China, Not Trade Barriers

  History cannot help us see the future, but it can help us avoid the mistakes of the past. The Senate passed, and the majority of the House would support, legislation that will penalize China for keeping its currency undervalued and enable trade tariffs, but risks ill will and a trade war with China. This […]

Categories
Economics & Trade Policy

All’s Fair in Danish Taxation – But What About the U.S.?

  Two weeks ago, when President Obama announced his plan to ensure that millionaires pay at least the same tax rate as middle-income Americans, tax cut advocates came out in force. Some fiscal conservatives rumbled against the United States’ overly progressive taxation system, arguing that many countries, like Denmark, have flatter tax rates than the […]

Categories
Economics & Trade Policy

Consumer Confidence Courtesy of Warren Buffett

  “Americans are rapidly losing faith in the ability of Congress to deal with our country’s fiscal problems. Only action that is immediate, real and very substantial will prevent that doubt from morphing into hopelessness. That feeling can create its own reality.” This statement stood out to me as I read an op-ed written by […]

Categories
Economics & Trade Policy

If They Build It, Who Will Come?

  While much of the world continues to languish in a starting and stopping economic recovery, China’s impressive development and economic growth have proceeded with only the slightest of pauses.  Its 30-year track record and ability to maintain full speed ahead during the recent downturn have only solidified many observers’ opinions that China provides an […]

Categories
Economics & Trade Policy

A Cure That’s Worse Than the Disease

  In this year’s State of the Union address, President Obama declared deficit reduction to be a critical step to move the country forward. Republicans and Democrats disagree vehemently over how much to cut from the federal budget. Yet neither party seems to have considered that the right amount might be none. It is certainly […]