Protectionism and stimulus
Paul Krugman Should we be upset about the buy-American provisions in the stimulus bill? Is there an economic case for such provisions? The answer is yes and yes. And I do think it’s important to be honest about the second yes. The economic case against protectionism is that it distorts incentives: each country produces goods [...]
Obama-in-Ottawa
John Geddes To scoff at the outpouring of adulation that greeted Barack Obama on Parliament Hill sounds sophisticated. All those people who were so thrilled just to be waved at from behind a sheet of Plexiglas—giddy hero-worshippers. The teenagers who screamed at a glimpse of the President during his surprise appearance at the market—no better [...]
Is Immigration the answer ?
The free flow of economic resources (capital, technology, commodities and labor) is mostly driven by cost differentials and supply-demand imbalances. We import goods from China because we want to buy these goods at lower cost than the cost at which we can produce them here. We import oil because the demand for oil here exceeds [...]
Could a woman do it?
By Hilary Clinton Now, think how much progress we’ve already made. When we first started, people everywhere asked the same questions. Could a woman really serve as commander in chief? Well, I think we answered that one. Could an African-American really be our president? And Senator Obama has answered that one. Together, Senator Obama and [...]