Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 7d

Another excellent episode . . . .where can I read more about Labour politics in the 1970s and 1980s, and Militant in particular? Any recommendations? Thank you!

1

Reposted by Douglas Irwin

Andrew Greenland @andrewg-phd.bsky.social · 26d

📢CFP
Tariffs and Trade Policy: Past, Present, & Future

@ncsu: Dec 5, 6, 7 (am)
Due: Sept 30 tinyurl.com/2stm2fk7

Papers: 8 + Discuss
Keynote: @douglasirwin.bsky.social
Panel: Chad Bown +TBD
Sponsor: @NSF
NEW TARIFF DATABASE 1789-2025

Funding: Flight+Hotel+Food (presenter/discussant)

4 5

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · Aug 11

The US Constitution forbids export taxes but I guess this payment isn't a "tax" but a payout....🤔 www.nytimes.com/2025/08/10/t...

U.S. Government to Take Cut of Nvidia and AMD A.I. Chip Sales to China

www.nytimes.com

5 15 40

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · Jul 30

On cue . .

3 15

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · Jul 28

Some great lines from @davidfrum.bsky.social

"There is no socialist way to create wealth. There is only a socialist way to spend wealth."
"While Trump’s behavior discredits markets, his rhetoric vilifies markets."
& more . . .
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

1 2

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · Jul 9

Heartbreaking to the extent that US tariff policy contributed to this . . . www.bbc.com/news/article...

US tariffs: Lesotho declares state of disaster amid US tariff uncertainty

Lesotho faces tariffs of 50% - higher than any other country because of its large trade surplus with the US.

www.bbc.com

2 14 29

Reposted by Douglas Irwin

American Historical Association @historians.org · Jun 24

Watch the AHA’s Congressional Briefing on the history of tariffs on C-SPAN. Panelists @douglasirwin.bsky.social, @sharonannmurphy.bsky.social, & @rauchway.bsky.social discussed how the government has implemented tariffs in the past & how they have impacted the economy. 🗃️

History of Tariffs

Professors Douglas Irwin (Dartmouth College), Sharon Ann Murphy (Providence College), and Eric Rauchway (University of California, Davis) discussed how the federal government historically has implemen...

www.c-span.org

4 11

Reposted by Douglas Irwin

American Historical Association @historians.org · Jun 10

Tomorrow, on 6/11, the AHA will host a Congressional Briefing offering historical perspectives on tariffs. Panelists @douglasirwin.bsky.social, @sharonannmurphy.bsky.social, & @rauchway.bsky.social will discuss how the govt. has implemented tariffs in the past, & how they have impacted the economy.🗃️

AHA Congressional Briefing: History of Tariffs – AHA

The American Historical Association (AHA) will host a Congressional Briefing offering historical perspectives on tariffs. The briefing will take place on Wednesday, June 11, at 9:00 a.m. ET in Rayburn...

www.historians.org

7 15

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · Jun 10

This one seems pretty important . . . goes after a slew of them
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

The standard errors of persistence

Many studies of historical persistence find that modern outcomes strongly reflect characteristics of the same places in the distant past. However they…

www.sciencedirect.com

3 3 14

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · Jun 5

Greg Mankiw in the WSJ on whether economics is a science

1 4 48

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · Jun 2

Attention Capitol Hill staffers:

1 13

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · May 26

The ancients were onto something....

1 1 11

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · May 18

1 12 73

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · May 14

1 10 22

Reposted by Douglas Irwin

Menzie Chinn @mchinn.bsky.social · May 12

Speaking Wednesday w/Madison Cmte on Foreign Relations #econsky
econbrowser.com/archives/202...

3 10

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · May 8

Declining trade volume is a goal, a feature not a bug

2 4 40

Reposted by Douglas Irwin

Louis Johnston @ldjeconomics.bsky.social · May 7

🌟🌟If you haven't got it, get it!

Clashing Over Commerce by @douglasirwin.bsky.social is $2.99 today on Kindle
www.amazon.com/dp/B077KZQQC...

Clashing Over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy (Markets and Governments in Economic History)

Clashing Over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy (Markets and Governments in Economic History) - Kindle edition by Irwin, Douglas A.. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Clashing Over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy (Markets and Governments in Economic History).

www.amazon.com

3 9

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · May 6

Great thread!
There's a big difference between trade deals and trade agreements. Trade deals are limited, short term, and often superficial (remember IPEF?). Trade agreements are comprehensive, long term, substantive, and require Congressional approval. US isn't doing the latter.

Megan Cassella @megancnbc.bsky.social · May 6

In a long monologue in the Oval Office beside Canadian PM Mark Carney this afternoon, the President appears to say the trade "deals" his team are working on are not deals in the traditional sense, as they will not have to be signed.

This is really significant! More in thread.

2 14 30

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · May 6

You were eloquent and brilliant, great discussion!

1 1

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · May 6

Might be of interest...how Britain voted over trade in the 1906 general election....
www.jstor.org/stable/725605

www.jstor.org

4

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · May 6

Excellent thread and podcast about the challenges to Britain's free trade policy in 1903....

Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · May 3

The world's biggest trade power is in retreat.

A businessman-politician claims his country is under attack.

He demands tariffs to secure the border & make his country great again.

Yes, it's the UK in 1903!

Find out more in this episode of @ppfideas.bsky.social. 🧵 www.ppfideas.com/episodes/ide...

Two posters from the Tariff Reform campaign, 1903-14. One shows a ship in a turbulent, "free trade sea", heading for the "rocks of socialism", with the slogan "The only hope is Tariff Reform". The other shows a skeleton stalking the land with a scythe marked "Free Trade": the slogan reads "Unemployment. Whose Turn Next?"

3 5 21

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · Apr 19

Never thought I'd see such a photo! Probably the same people who opposed TPP in 2016....?

16 37 190

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · Apr 16

There's always been a lot of free trade bashing (you might say that free trade is always under fire), but you might miss or appreciate it when it's gone or taken from you . . . www.ft.com/content/9fd4...

Donald Trump’s gift to globalisation

Not since the crash of 2008 has free trade held the moral and intellectual high ground

www.ft.com

3 8

Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · Apr 12

Brazil tried protectionism . . did it work? anyone?
www.wsj.com/economy/trad...

3 4 15