Why is Protectionism Dormant?
The forces that kept protectionism at bay during the financial crisis—chief among them, national laws, regional agreements, and structural economic shifts—should be the focus of future trade negotiations. […]
Economy
Is Protectionism Dying?
Although World Trade Organization policies helped limit the increase in protectionist measures during the recent financial crisis, a mutually reinforcing set of legal and structural changes in the world economy played a larger role in keeping global markets open. […]
The Future of Protectionism
One of the remarkable features of the recent global financial and economic crisis is that few countries resorted to protectionism. What economic and political factors account for the lack of protectionism? […]
Why Are Reserves So Big?
The dramatic increase in official foreign exchange reserves in developing countries has prompted accusations of protectionism, but developed countries are equally to blame for the recent increase. […]
The Growing Risks of Our Four-Speed World
With inflation rising in the developing world, advanced countries are bearing the brunt of the post-crisis adjustment—including reestablishing fiscal sanity—with little help from the vibrant emerging economies upon which the world have come to rely. […]
The Economic and Political Outlook for the Middle East in Turmoil
The Middle East and North Africa have seen more change in the last three months than in the previous fifty years and the current turmoil will have far-reaching and, in the short-run, adverse economic implications both within the region and beyond. […]
The Middle East Bailout
The international community must provide support to countries across the Middle East in order to contain the numerous financial and economic risks created by the current unrest. […]
Portugal’s Bail-Out Follows Europe’s Not So Grand Bargain
While markets seem calm for now, the failure of the EU’s recent summit, combined with Portugal’s recent request for aid and other political setbacks, leaves the euro area vulnerable to a relapse of crisis. […]
Soaring Food Prices: Causes, Consequences, and Remedies
After a relatively short-lived decline during the Great Recession, international food prices have soared again and reached a record-high in recent months. This price surge, coupled with a dramatic spike in the price of oil, is causing great hardship for the world’s poor households. […]
Can the World Survive Another Crisis?
A series of crises in advanced countries—from the financial collapse two years ago to the devastating earthquake in Japan to a surge in oil prices—has greatly diminished their ability to deal with the next economic shock. […]