Maxwell School News and Commentary

"Beijing is taking on a broader financial role. Here’s why that matters," writes Daniel McDowell, associate professor of political science, in a column for the Washington Post.

These new tariffs will “almost surely not” cause a recession, says Mary Lovely, professor of economics. “This industry is important but it’s not that important. Costs will rise. We’ll see some job dislocation…but we will not see a recession,” she adds.

"One hope of AGOA [African Growth and Opportunity Act] was labor intensive manufacturing would move into” some of Africa's poorest countries, said Mary Lovely, professor of economics. The comment followed President Trump's announcement of Rwanda's participation in the program.

David Van Slyke, dean of the Maxwell School, says Trump’s opposition to Gateway is mystifying and potentially discourages investors in the sort of public-private projects his administration is advocating. 

"The Rothschilds, who combined Jewishness, banking and international ties, presented an attractive target” for conspiracy theorists, says Michael Barkun, professor emeritus of political science.

"The key thing that happened Sunday is that Putin formally became a lame duck in a political system dependent on one man," says Brian Taylor, professor and chair of political science.

"They raise the already high risk of new U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports, almost certainly to be quickly followed by a carefully targeted Chinese response," says Mary Lovely, professor of economics. "Unfortunately, while destructive of jobs both here and in China, these responses will not move the needle on the U.S. trade deficit."

In his book "Welfare for the Wealthy," Christopher Faricy, associate professor of political science, points out the federal government is hardly generous with the poor alone and the same pattern holds in health care and education.

"This is not a burden increase. People who qualify for premium tax credits and drop insurance are better off doing it (their cost of insurance doesn't change). Worse off are those who have incomes too high to qualify for credits and would face much higher premiums," says Len Burman, Paul Volcker Chair in Behavioral Economics.