The Doha round of trade liberalization negotiations is in deep trouble, and with good reason. Though positioned as a “development†round intended to benefit the world’s poorest countries, it in fact does little in that regard. On close examination Doha turns out to be a Trojan horse that pushes the type of trade liberalization that has made globalization so deeply unpopular and unfair. (more…)
A lot of newspaper ink has been spilled over immigration. So why write another op-ed? The reason is that the economics behind the debate remains badly out of focus, and understanding that economics is key to carving a passage through this nastiest of political wedge issues. (more…)
John Kenneth Galbraith died on April 29, 2006 at the age of 97, having led a life filled with honor and accomplishment. Unfortunately, his ideas are largely ignored by today’s economics profession. His recent death marks an occasion for spotlighting the continuing relevance of those ideas and the ideological narrowness of a profession that makes no space for them. (more…)