Trump’s protectionist Nixon redux takes a darker turn than the original Tricky Dick’s trade and currency war gave way to a pivot towards the multilateral

i might end up posting this 17 times today but if you only read one piece on the anniversary of Trump's Liberation Day Tariffs let it be this one, by @alanbeattie.bsky.social

Canada and Mexico on different paths heading into USMCA crunch time With the formal review date for the trade pact looming, Canada appears to be largely on the sidelines while Mexico is engaged in ‘technical discussions’

It’s disconcerting that reporters and Canadians are being forced to guess what Canada’s USMCA strategy actually is rather than getting a clear picture from the Carney government, even on background.
Also not sure how all this fits with Carney’s much-touted closer relations with Mexico.

Fed's Powell with a quote that covers a lot of territory right now: "Confidence is what you feel before you really understand the problem."

I mean good advice for most if not all writing

WTO Blog | The value of the WTO: An economics viewpoint in six instalments Why do economies negotiate trade agreements? If unilateral free trade can benefit an economy, why do governments devote so much effort to negotiating reciprocal tariff reductions and detailed trade rules with their partners? The answer lies in a fundamental feature of trade policy: when governments act independently, their policies affect not only their own economies but also the economies of others.

The value of the WTO: An economics viewpoint in six instalments

The economic question we forget to ask about AI [FREE TO READ] Forget the singularity and robot takeovers; what matters is who captures the value added

An economic question we don't ask enough about AI. as.ft.com/r/ec467fc3-b...

This is amazing.

www.getyourfuckingmoneyback.com

🚨 New paper 🚨 #TradePolicy
Elsewhere in North America: How U.S. Tariffs on China Boosted Mexico's Manufacturing Employment and Output

Did U.S. tariffs on China Make America Great Again?

www.ifo.de/cesifo/Agz @cesifo.org

Last term I tried an experiment: I walked into my Tech and Design Ethics class, admitted that I had *no idea* what to do about ChatGPT - so I would let them figure it out.

As in: their first project was to decide and write the ChatGPT policy for the class.

Here's what happened:

Hey junior scholars in Canada (or Canadians abroad) doing labour econ research, submit your paper for the @cleforum.bsky.social Best Young Researcher Paper Prize.
Deadline is Jan 15, 2026:
Details, including submission portal: clef.uwaterloo.ca/prize/

Congratulations!

Export-Import Bank to spend $100bn to achieve US energy dominance New chief floats deals in Egypt, Pakistan and Europe as agency backs away from renewables under Donald Trump

www.ft.com/content/0567...

Please spread the word: we're hiring a Globalization Pre-doctoral Fellow to work with me on research, take classes, and participate in the vibrant Dartmouth trade community. Great for those interested in getting a Ph.D. Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/177589
@dartmouthecon.bsky.social

Graph of the evolution of EU15 integration in four datasets. All 4 datasets agree that the impact of borders has gone down over time. A recent paper which has gathered significant attention estimates a 45% tariff equivalent of intra-EU border costs. This column argues that this estimate is likely too high and depends on the particular dataset used and specific estimation choices. Therefore, it also vastly overstates the barriers that are akin to tariffs and could be lowered as a result of European Commission policy decisions. Instead, it argues that there are more urgent reforms with larger potential benefits, such as boosting EU innovation capacity and R&D spending.

@ckhead.bsky.social & @thierry-mayer.bsky.social‬ argue that the recent estimate of an equivalent 45% tariff in intra-EU costs is likely too high & vastly overstates the barriers which could be lowered due to Commission policy decisions.
cepr.org/voxeu/column...
#EconSky

New WP! Paul Novosad wrote a great thread about our paper on X: x.com/paulnovosad/...

This is joint work with Jesse Silbert (Princeton), who is on the academic job market this year. Jesse is fantastic, go check him out: jesse-silbert.github.io

Full paper: jesse-silbert.github.io/website/silb...

Oral argument live blog for Wednesday, November 5 We were live as the court heard oral arguments in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump. Note: A login is not required to participate in the chat.

Fun ScotusBlog live blog of today's SCOTUS oral arguments:

www.scotusblog.com/2025/10/oral...

@larsvil.bsky.social

Andrei Sulzenko a principal negotiator of the original Canada-U.S. free trade agreement, argues that now is the time to rag the puck on trade relations with the US. I agree

Do you think that Trump would go for bilateral agreements even if that means he has to go through Congress for formal ratification? Or would he try to restructure existing agreements somehow?

[yes, I know, nobody knows anything.]

Attention IO job market candidates:

Sometimes speakers in the CMA's external economics seminar series have to cancel at relatively short notice. We would love for these slots to go to JMCs to present their job market paper.

Drop me a message if you are interested or share with those who might be.

I was working an entire essay on this very notion this summer and this is reminding me I should pick it back up. TL;DR - every price is someone else's income and whether prices going down on something is "good" depends a whole lot on what you do for a living.

Nobel Physics Prize awarded for quantum work powering next-gen computers Three US-based scientists honoured for showing how strange submicroscopic effects can be harnessed in electronic devices

on.ft.com/4o7O3H0

For months, we had heard officials refer to the investment pledges. Now published, in draft form at least, by Japan’s Cabinet Secretariat, the MOU is our first opportunity to understand the architecture for foreign investments in the US. I try to answer some questions @worldtradelaw.bsky.social

@econuoft.bsky.social

I'm hiring a predoc to work w/ me on empirical IO/applied micro projects starting in Fall '26!

Details below and instructions here: shoshanavasserman.com/call_for_pre...

International students (who need J1) are welcome & non-econ bgs are fine given interest + curiosity. Please apply :)

Labor Market Power, Self-Employment, and Development (Forthcoming Article) - This paper shows that self-employment shapes labor market power in low-income countries, with implications for industrial devel- opment. Using Peruvian data, we find that wage-...

Forthcoming in the AER: "Labor Market Power, Self-Employment, and Development" by Francesco Amodio, Pamela Medina, and Monica Morlacco. www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...

#GoBlue

Welcome back!

Super interesting discussion in the comments about what exactly the Intel-U.S. partnership does (and does not).

Canada to Drop Many Retaliatory Tariffs in Olive Branch to Trump Canada will remove its retaliatory tariffs on a long list of US products that comply with the existing North American trade deal, seeking to lower tensions with the White House.

Canada will drop retaliatory tariffs on many US products that comply with the existing North American trade deal