News and other interesting items:
- Sneaker Tariffs
See the
column by Matt Yglesias for links to the NPR story on
Sawing Apart Gym Shoes at the Port of Long Beach
(to enforce tariff laws). The comments to both Yglesias and the NPR story give an idea of how contentious trade issues are. Note also Yglesias' link to his post noting that the
US tariff structure is highly regressive
Note that the arguments cut across simple distinctions between "liberal" and "free-market" positions.
- Brazil, the US and cotton
- Christmas tariffs Does Santa have Most-Favored-Nation status?
You might also be interested in the Christmas Price Index
- The Box Tracking a shipping container around the globe to tell the story of global trade.
- Trade Negogiations, South Korean style Dec. 18, 2008. The South Korean Parliament is discussing the US-Korean Free Trade Agreement.
- Larry Summers, new chair of the National Economic Council, on trade:
-- America Needs to Make a New Case for Trade by Lawrence Summers, Financial Times, 27 Apr.2008.
-- A Strategy to Promote Healthy Globalisation by Lawrence Summers, Financial Times, 27 Apr.2008.
-- The Global Consensus on Trade is Unravelling by Lawrence Summers, Financial Times, 24 Aug.2008.
Protectionism in the news
-
Tariff Protests in Eastern Port Rattle Kremlin by Clifford J. Levy, New York Times, Feb. 16, 2009. Tariffs on cars less popular than Putin.
- Impairing the European Union, Gibe by Gibe by Steven Erlanger. New York Times, Feb. 10, 2009. The Common Market is "being riven by statist policies and incipient protectionism" -- with Sarkozy and Vaclav Klaus disagreeing sharply on the French rescue plan for the French auto industry.
- Harmonized Tariff Code of the United States Browse a bit, find some specific and ad valorem tariffs, note the different categories of countries.
- How Long Can the Chinese Textile Industry Sustain Boom? by Elton Robinson, Delta Farm Press Jun 8, 2004. China and the US negogiate on expiry of the Multi-Fiber Arrangement. Money quote: "If they don't (impose restrictions voluntarily), then the US reimposes the quota"
- Textile and Apparel VER with China, 2005 Expires Jan 2009.
- Trade Policy Agenda, 2009 U.S. Trade Representative's office
- 2008 Special 301 Report Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.