Amyaz Moledina's List: International Trade

• Yes, an influx of immigrants has helped depress the incomes of the lowest-skilled workers in recent decades, many economists agree. But they argue about the magnitude of the effect; some say it's big while others see it as slight. 

   

   Meanwhile, increased immigration -- legal and illegal -- helps keep inflation low, boosts rents and housing values, and benefits the average U.S. taxpayer while burdening some state and local governments, other research finds. 

   

   "Immigration provides overall economic gains to a country," wrote economist Albert Saiz, summarizing the literature in a 2003 article for the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. "Indeed, the U.S. experience as an immigrants' country is one of phenomenal economic growth. However, there are winners and losers in the short run."

• imposing tariffs ranging from about 24 to nearly 36 percent on most solar panels

• Chinese companies were benefiting from unfair government subsidies and were selling their products in the United States below the cost of production, a practice known as dumping.

   For one of the biggest panel makers, Suntech, the duties are slightly higher, moving to almost 36 percent from about 34 percent.
• a coalition of manufacturers, led by SolarWorld, a German company with considerable manufacturing in the United States
• Chinese companies have driven costs down mainly through greater economies of scale from building ever-larger factories to produce conventional solar panels.

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• It also came after the Chinese government said Monday that it had filed a case with the World Trade Organization accusing some E.U. countries of violating free trade rules with policies that favored the purchase of solar energy equipment produced in Europe.
• anti-dumping investigation
• They complained after about a dozen solar panel manufacturers went bankrupt or cut back production on each side of the Atlantic.
• it more difficult to generate jobs and to expand use of the solar power as a way to cut pollution and enhance energy independence

  • Always ignore general equilibrium and dynamic effects in these anti-dumping and fairness claims.

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