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The Pandemic Does Not Justify Protectionism or Deglobalization

100 dollar bill laying on a US flag with two silver chess pawns above it

Beyond its severe toll on human life and public health, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities in routines that we have long assumed were reliable and safe. Reevaluating these routines will help us find new and better ways of doing things, but only if we leave some bad ideas in the dustbin. As Cato scholars Daniel J. Ikenson and Simon Lester explain in this Pandemics and Policy issue, one of these ideas is that the pandemic is proof of the failures of globalization. Instead, they show how without the global economy, America will be poorer, more vulnerable, and less resilient.

Can Interim Appeal Arbitration Preserve the WTO Dispute System?

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WTO dispute settlement is one of the most developed and legalistic adjudication systems that exists in international law. But recently, the United States has offered strong objections to some of the rulings and behavior of the Appellate Body. Other WTO members have put forward a temporary appeals mechanism, known as the Multiparty Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA) to keep the system functioning until a permanent solution can be found. A new paper from Cato scholar Simon Lester considers the historical development of the Appellate Body, explains the U.S. objections, and then sets out the details of the MPIA and evaluates its prospects.

Democrats and Trade 2021: A Pro‐​Trade Policy for the Democratic Party

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A narrative of popular discontent against open trade has taken hold, and politicians on both the left and the right have reacted by taking aim at trade agreements and proclaiming their support for economic nationalism. This is both bad policy and a misreading of the views of most Americans. In a new paper, Cato scholar James Bacchus argues that Democrats should not fall into the trap of trying to compete with Donald Trump in skepticism about trade. Instead, Democrats should set out the positive case for trade liberalization and the rule of law in international trade.

    Experts

    Media Name: bacchus-cropped.jpg
    James Bacchus
    Media Name: grabow-cropped.jpg
    Colin Grabow
    Media Name: ikenson.jpg
    Daniel J. Ikenson
    Media Name: slester.jpg
    Simon Lester
    Media Name: lincicome.jpg
    Scott Lincicome
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    Inu Manak

    Subtopics

    • Agriculture
    • Antidumping, CVD, Safeguards
    • General U.S. Trade Policy
    • Globalization, Value Chains, FDI
    • Jones Act
    • Manufacturing and Industrial Policy
    • Services Trade and Non-Tariff Barriers
    • Trade Agreements and the WTO
    • Trade Myths
    • Trade Policy Prescriptions
    • Trade Politics
    • Trade Theory, Philosophy, and Morality
    • Trans-Atlantic Trade
    • Trans-Pacific Trade

    Featured

    Blog

    “They Can’t Subsidize Our Farmers; Only We Can Subsidize Our Farmers”

    By Scott Lincicome.

    Prices for fertilizers are surging after U.S. fertilizer companies called for countervailing tariffs, while government subsidies to farmers are at historic levels.

    Blog

    China’s Critical Minerals, National Security, and the Meaning of Supply Chain Interdependence

    By Daniel J. Ikenson.

    The Unite States has responded to its dependence on “rare earth materials” from China as a national emergency and instituted tariffs on such materials to encourage diversification. This move not only harms consumers but will also likely be slow to achieve the desired results.

    Blog

    Big Government, Big Business, Big Protectionism

    By Scott Lincicome.

    Free markets don’t help big firms stay big, but government does. 

    Commentary

    It’s Time We Had a Talk about Tariffs

    By Scott Lincicome. The Dispatch.
    Blog

    The One Policy Proven to Help the U.S. Semiconductor Industry (and Hamstring China) Is the One Nobody’s Mentioning

    By Scott Lincicome.

    High‐​skill immigration (both workers and students) has been a boon for the American semiconductor industry — a finding consistent with analyses showing how educated immigrants boost U.S. innovation and productivity more generally.

    Blog

    The World Trade Organization Can’t Kill Trump’s China Tariffs, but Can U.S. Courts or a President Biden?

    By Daniel J. Ikenson.

    Despite a recent WTO ruling, the U.S. court system is the best option for revoking Trump’s executive overreach in adding goods to the China tariff list. 

    Subtopics

    • Agriculture
    • Antidumping, CVD, Safeguards
    • General U.S. Trade Policy
    • Globalization, Value Chains, FDI
    • Jones Act
    • Manufacturing and Industrial Policy
    • Services Trade and Non-Tariff Barriers
    • Trade Agreements and the WTO
    • Trade Myths
    • Trade Policy Prescriptions
    • Trade Politics
    • Trade Theory, Philosophy, and Morality
    • Trans-Atlantic Trade
    • Trans-Pacific Trade

    Multimedia

    Download Episode
    | Listen on: Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Google Play

    Preserving Free Trade in a Pandemic

    Featuring Daniel J. Ikenson and Caleb O. Brown. September 25, 2020.

    Simon Lester participates in the webinar, “Investment Protection under the New NAFTA: Problems and Prospects,” hosted by the Baker Institute

    Featuring Simon Lester. September 25, 2020.

    Simon Lester discusses the US dropping its tariffs on Canadian aluminum on CTV News

    Featuring Simon Lester. September 16, 2020.

    Daniel J. Ikenson discusses US-UK trade on SkyNews Tonight

    Featuring Daniel J. Ikenson. September 16, 2020.
    More Multimedia

    Events

    Live Online Policy Forum

    The Future of the World Trade Organization

    July 16, 2020 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM EDT
    Live Online
    Featuring James Bacchus, Former WTO Appellate Body Jurist; former U.S. Congressman; and Adjunct Scholar, Cato Institute; Simon Lester, Associate Director, Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, Cato Institute; and Inu Manak, Research Fellow, Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, Cato Institute; moderated by Daniel Ikenson, Director, Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, Cato Institute.
    Live Online Policy Forum

    Supreme Court Balks, but Congress Should Act to Restore Its Authority over Trade Policy

    July 9, 2020 4:00 PM to 5:15 PM EDT
    Live Online
    Featuring Gary N. Horlick, Law Offices of Gary N. Horlick; Donald B. Cameron Jr., Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP; moderated by Daniel Ikenson (@dikenson), Director, Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, Cato Institute.
    Live Online Policy Forum

    Implementing the New NAFTA

    May 26, 2020 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT
    Live Online

    Featuring Luz María de La Mora, (@luzmadelamora) Undersecretary for Foreign Trade, Secretariat of Economy, Mexico; moderated by Inu Manak, (@inumanak) Research Fellow, Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, Cato Institute.

    Live Online Policy Forum

    Trade in a Pandemic: Traditional Issues, New Concerns, and Optimal Policy Responses

    April 15, 2020 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EDT
    Live Online

    Featuring Daniel Ikenson, Director, Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies; Simon Lester, Associate Director, Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies; and Inu Manak, Research Fellow, Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies.

    More Events

    Cato Studies

    The Pandemic Does Not Justify Protectionism or Deglobalization

    Daniel J. Ikenson and Simon Lester.
    September 15, 2020
    lpb-cover-6.jpg

    Trump’s Ad Hoc Administrative State

    William Yeatman.
    September 11, 2020
    FTB 77 Cover 2

    Can Interim Appeal Arbitration Preserve the WTO Dispute System?

    Simon Lester.
    September 1, 2020
    pa-cover900.jpg

    Democrats and Trade 2021: A Pro‐​Trade Policy for the Democratic Party

    James Bacchus.
    August 11, 2020
    More Cato Studies

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