… in global trade ?
▶ “ Trade has become a hot topic ever since the major powers got into an escalated scuffle . On the surface , the focal issue was the U . S . trade deficit against other countries . However , most economists didn ’ t believe slapping on a tariff could be a cure . Many even argued that a trade deficit itself was not necessarily a bad thing . So what is all the fuss about ?
“ Aside from all the nationalistic rhetoric and suspicion of geopolitical conspiracy , it may reflect something more fundamental — a widespread anxiety that the current global trade regime may not be able to effectively protect the fairness of trade as before . This feeling may eventually stall the freedom of trade . If that is the case , we should be able to find a better approach for a solution . We know we will be better off when a “ new normal ” of free and fair trade is achieved . We also hope that everybody can be inspired by a positive process as we get there , as expressed by the founding motto of the WTCA half a century ago : “ Trade for Peace and Prosperity .”
Scott Wang , MPIA ’ 98 , is Vice President of Asia Pacific for the World Trade Centers Association ( WTCA ).
What ’ s going on in research ?
GPS faculty share their latest findings :
JOHN AHLQUIST : “ What it means to ' go to work ’ is changing . But the public policies designed to protect people from injury , aging and recession are bound up in a mid-20th-century understanding of employment . We are conducting a ' gap study ’ that systematically compares what we could learn about employment conditions and stability using existing government data under optimal conditions with what we can observe using interview and mobile phone – based data collection tools .”
JESSE DRISCOLL : “ I am working on Ukraine , where Russia has maintained a military presence since 2014 . The 2017 National Security Strategy of the United States calls this an invasion . I worry that this is diplomatically counterproductive , and believe the language of civil war will be more useful . Empirically , my focus is on the unresolved military front simmering in the eastern Donbas region . The war has frozen there . The next question is when the Russian military will disengage .”
RICHARD FEINBERG : “ During the last decade my research interests have focused on the Caribbean Basin , especially Cuba and Nicaragua . My book Open for Business : Building the New Cuban Economy — analyzing the emergence of the private sector and the opening to international investment — influenced Obama administration policies . My forthcoming paper , published by the Brookings Institution , will explore the historical roots of the recent civil insurrection in Nicaragua and suggest steps toward a peaceful resolution .”
TEEVRAT GARG : “ I ’ m looking at how large-scale social protection programs can help the poorest and most vulnerable populations protect themselves from the effects of rising temperatures in the age of climate change . In India , for instance , the world ' s largest workfare program , the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme ( NREGS ), is shielding poor farmers financially from the negative effects of increasingly hotter days on their crop yields .”
ALEXANDER GELBER : “ What I ’ ve found in my research is that Social Security Disability Insurance income saves lives — particularly among the lowest-income recipients .”
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