Topic: International Economics and Development

Social Security – Worldwide Failure

By
Michael D. Tanner

Social Security may still be something of the political third rail in this country, but the rest of the world continues to turn away from the traditional government-run model for retirement programs. A new survey by HSBC of industrialized countries finds that only 30 percent of their citizens believe that government should be primarily responsible for funding their retirement, compared to 43 percent who believe that individuals should bear the cost of the own retirement.

Regardless of country, there is little confidence in Social Security. Just 29 percent believe that their governments will be able to pay the benefits it has promised. When asked how to reform their country’s Social Security systems, 37 percent favored the introduction of some form of mandatory savings or personal account program, while just 13 percent would increase taxes to pay for promised benefits.

Topics: 
International Economics and Development, Social Security

Exporters as Hostage-takers?

By
Sallie James

I subscribe to a useful digest of farm policy news called FarmPolicy. It’s a great little news service for those interested in agricultural issues.

Today in FarmPolicy, my attention and pique were raised by an article that included a statement from Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Co), who said that farming should be an integral part of national security. According to Salazar:

I would hate to think of a day where the United States of America becomes hostage to other countries (that export food to the U.S.), in a way that we are held hostage over our energy needs

I know of only two other countries that pursue a policy of total self-sufficiency in food(which seems to be what the senator is advocating): North Korea and Zimbabwe.

And we all know how well that’s going…

If you are interested in agricultural policy, Cato will be holding a forum next week to discuss the new Farm Bill. The forum will feature the secretary of agriculture, Mike Johanns, as well as Cal Dooley of the Food Products Association and Robert Thompson, one of America’s most respected experts on U.S. farm policy. Please join us.

Topics: 
Foreign Policy and National Security, General, International Economics and Development, Tax and Budget Policy, Trade and Immigration

Spoke Too Soon

By
Jim Harper

Last week in this space, I lamented a couple of the routine, tiny steps that carry us further down the path to bigger and more intrusive government.

By giving state food stamp programs greater access to personal information about Americans, Congress had masked the cost of rescuing Americans from Lebanon. The result was a bill that expanded the federal role in international rescue while spreading personal information about us a little further.

This weekend I discovered the rest of the story. In a separate bill, Congress made available yet more funds for rescuing Americans from Lebanon. Additional cost, 17 cents per U.S. family.

As Tom Palmer pointed out, Lebanon has been a dangerous place as a matter of common sense and announced U.S. policy for quite some time. I suspect that he, like I do, wants Americans to travel far and wide, experience the world, and make friends. But it’s not the federal government’s responsibility to subsidize that process by rescuing Americans when they encounter danger. Americans who need rescue should foot the bill.

Topics: 
Foreign Policy and National Security, International Economics and Development, Tax and Budget Policy

Winning with Zero

By
Daniel J. Ikenson

Though prospects for broad reform of the U.S. antidumping law are tied to the now-moribund Doha Round of trade negotiations, curtailing antidumping abuse is still viable through other channels. Yesterday, the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization ruled that the U.S. dumping calculation technique known as “zeroing” violates the WTO’s Antidumping Agreement.

In determining margins of dumping (which dictate the prospective antidumping duties applied to affected imports), the Department of Commerce typically compares a foreign exporter’s U.S. and home market prices. There are usually dozens or hundreds (sometimes thousands) of comparisons made, each generating a margin of dumping, which can be positive, negative or zero.

Before averaging the individual dumping margins to produce an overall antidumping duty rate, the DOC perpetrates some sleight of hand by setting all of the negative dumping margins to zero. This, of course, has the effect of seriously inflating the overall rate and dissuading subsequent importation.

Zeroing is probably the most distortive of a multitude of methodological tricks the DOC undertakes in the name of fighting unfair trade. In previous research, Brink Lindsey and I looked at 18 actual dumping cases and found that had the DOC not engaged in zeroing, the antidumping duty rates would have been, on average, 89 percent lower.

If the United States complies with yesterday’s ruling and ceases the practice in all cases prospectively, the antidumping law will remain a nuisance, but its capacity to seriously obstruct trade will be weakened considerably.

Topics: 
General, International Economics and Development, Trade and Immigration

Every Day Brings an Emergency

By
Sallie James

The U.S. Farm Bill is due to be redrafted in the first half of next year and Cato will be part of what is shaping up to be a lively debate. The recent round of WTO negotiations were one hope for reducing the costly distortions that agricultural subsidies impose, but we all know what happened there. (The WTO news release can be found here if you are not up to speed).

The 2007 Farm Bill, then, provides the next best opportunity for much needed reform. But, considering the noises coming from Congressmen, we reformers have our work cut out. Consider this recent pearl, offered by Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.):”The fact is we know there is emergency assistance required every year, whether it’s for drought, floods or whatever natural cause…” Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language defines an emergency as “a sudden, urgent, usually unforeseen occurrence or occasion requiring immediate action.” I don’t think something (a different ‘something’ all the time, according to the Senator) that happens with certainty every year fits that definition.

Senator Hagel went on to say…”Why don’t we craft a farm bill that is visionary, relevant, real and deals with the challenges we know agriculture producers deal with?” I am sure the Senator meant the question to be rhetorical, but I agree with the Senator – why don’t we craft a Farm Bill that is visionary, relevant and real. A vision of farmers making a living from markets, relevant to the fact of the significant cost of these programs, and real – as in, real different to the last farm bill (a huge step backwards from the relatively tame 1996 farm bill). As for the challenges, surely farmers, like other small (and not so small) businesses should be able to deal with challenges unassisted by government (read: taxpayer and consumer) support?

I’m an Australian so I know something about drought. I’m also an economist, so I know something about comparative advantage. Maybe if every year is a disaster year in some place, then farmers shouldn’t be farming there….

Topics: 
International Economics and Development, Tax and Budget Policy, Trade and Immigration

If This Is Wrong I Don’t Want to Be Reich

By
David Boaz

Pathological liar Robert Reich offers a commentary on Wednesday morning’s “Marketplace Radio” (not posted yet) complaining that American companies are not lobbying for more spending on science and math education because they are unpatriotically opening labs and software design offices in India and China. So let’s see … he’s upset that the people of the world’s two largest countries are finally entering the modern world, and he’s upset that huge American businesses are not lobbying for more business subsidies. What a great liberal!

Topics: 
General, Government and Politics, International Economics and Development

The Welfare Kings of Farming

By
Sallie James

There is an excellent op-ed in today’s LA Times on the special kind of corporate welfare given to farmers. David Boaz and I have both written blog entries (here and here) and done podcasts on the topic (mine on 05/30/06 and David’s on 07/25/06). As the farm bill comes up for extension/review/obliteration (okay, that last one was a bit optimistic), this topic is one to watch.

Topics: 
General, International Economics and Development, Tax and Budget Policy, Trade and Immigration

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