Trump’s obsession with trade deficits has no basis in economics. And it’s a bad reason for tariffs

Lessons From Early America's Tariff Wars

The 1790s debate shows that, even when they aim at moral goods, tariffs abet cronyism and corruption.

Clearing The Air On Tariffs And Trade Deficits

A tariff is a tax on imports, and the importer pays almost all of it.

Trump latest obsession has no basis in economics — and it's a bad reason for policy

Those of us who study trade and investment for a living are, I suspect, becoming exasperated with both the White House stance on tariffs and the way that this is reported in much of the media. US president Donald Trump believes that if a country has a trade surplus with the US it is somehow playing unfairly and needs to be dealt with. But anyone who understands the basics of international economics will recognise the fallacy in both of these bel…

Trump’s obsession with trade deficits has no basis in economics. And it’s a bad reason for tariffs

Those of us who study trade and investment for a living are, I suspect, becoming exasperated with both the White House stance on tariffs and the way that this is reported in much of the media. US president Donald Trump believes that if a country has a trade surplus with the US it is somehow playing unfairly and needs to be dealt with. But anyone who understands the basics of international economics will recognise the fallacy in both of these bel…

Economic Nationalism Gone Wrong: From Smoot-Hawley to Trump’s Tariff Fallout.

(ThyBlackMan.com) History may not perfectly repeat itself, but it often rhymes. Two protectionist episodes — the infamous Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 and the Trump-era tariffs of today — offer a striking example. Both emerged from economic nostalgia and fear of change. Both were politically attractive. And both were costly, backward-looking mistakes that undermined the economies they were meant to protect. Smoot-Hawley was conceived in an Am…

Economic nationalism’s cost in Trump’s America

Most of us have heard the phrase, “the end justifies the means.” For some people, the phrase is a moral loophole, a way to rationalize tough decisions in pursuit of a bigger goal. President Donald Trump has taken this idea to the global stage, using it to defend one of his most controversial economic strategies:... The post OPINION | Economic nationalism’s cost in Trump’s America appeared first on The Tulane Hullabaloo.