Here are the slides from a presentation I gave today to sixth form students at a school in Reading. It features a discussion of the pros and (mostly) cons of the new US tariffs policy and concludes with a recommended book and a film for budding economists! What to make of Trump's tariffs (9 May … Continue reading What to make of Trump’s tariffs?
Tag: comparative advantage
Trump’s ‘reciprocal tariffs’ make no economic sense
The Trump administration’s decision to impose additional tariffs on imports into the US is bad economics, motivated at least in part by bad politics. TTo recap, the new “reciprocal tariffs” will be set according to the 2024 figures for US trade in goods - completely ignoring trade in services. They are based on a formula … Continue reading Trump’s ‘reciprocal tariffs’ make no economic sense
Schools presentation on free trade and inequality
Here are the slides from a presentations I gave last week to A-level students of economics, politics and business studies... the-economics-of-free-trade-and-inequality-29-june-2022Download
Importing is “GREAT”, too
The UK government promotes international trade under the banner ‘Exporting is GREAT’. This is laudable, but the economic benefits of free trade come mainly from what countries import, rather than from what they sell overseas. This is the main message from a paper I wrote recently for the Institute of Economic Affairs. Of course, it is not … Continue reading Importing is “GREAT”, too
Plain-speaking Economics 