Dollar & Sense: The Brookings Trade Podcast

A memorial tribute to David Dollar Nov 17, 2023

David Dollar, the host of Dollar and Sense, passed away on October 6, 2023. In this final episode of his podcast, David’s friends and colleagues pay tribute to his work as a U.S. official and scholar, as a mentor and colleague, as a podcast host, and ultimately as a family man.

Show notes and transcript

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

A look at food insecurity and agricultural trade around the world Aug 28, 2023

Caitlin Welsh, director of the Global Food and Water Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), reviews global food insecurity, noting that malnourishment extends beyond just hotspot countries, potentially affecting over 40% of people worldwide. She discusses shocks that have affected food security and agricultural trade, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, COVID-19, and India’s restriction on exports of rice in 2022, and also comments on foreign entities’ purchases of agricultural land around the world.

Show notes and transcript

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

What’s the best case scenario for US-China relations? Aug 14, 2023

Ryan Hass, newly appointed director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, talks with host David Dollar about the themes and ideas the China Center will be focusing on in the next few years. Hass also reviews the state of U.S.-China relations under the Biden administration, how domestic politics—including Taiwan’s—matter in the U.S.-China competition, and his vision of a best case scenario for U.S.-China relations in the coming decade.

Show notes and transcript

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

What’s the link between climate change and environmental disasters? Jul 31, 2023

Samantha Gross, director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at Brookings, talks with David Dollar about whether we can attribute the growing number of extreme weather events and disasters to climate change. Gross says global temperature rise makes these events more likely, but also notes that international cooperation to reduce carbon is having a positive effect on average temperature rise.

Show notes and transcript

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

The imperative of US-China dialogue on global issues Jul 17, 2023

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently visited China and met with senior Chinese economic and political officials. Mark Sobel, U.S. chairman of the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum, reflects on her trip, and says U.S.-China dialogue on economic and other global issues is imperative. “I believe that if the world’s two largest economies … aren’t talking,” Sobel says, “whether they agree or not, that’s a very bad thing for themselves and the world.”

Show notes and transcript

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Why immigrants are America’s superpower Jul 03, 2023

Wendy Edelberg, senior fellow and director of The Hamilton Project at Brookings, discusses the positive impact of immigration on the dynamism and fiscal sustainability of the U.S. economy. She also explains her research on the impact immigrants have on local, state, and federal finances. As a whole, immigrants are a net benefit to the U.S. economy, but based largely on immigrants’ education levels, the fiscal cost is disproportionately paid by certain state and local areas. Together with co-author Tara Watson, Edelberg proposes a way to redirect some of the federal gains to these communities, piggy-backing on existing programs.

Show notes and transcript

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

A look at India-US relations as Prime Minister Modi visits the White House Jun 20, 2023

In the week of India Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State Visit to the U.S., Tanvi Madan, senior fellow in Foreign Policy and director of the India Project at Brookings, discusses the state of U.S.-India relations, a strategic technology partnership between the two countries, and how global issues like the Russia-Ukraine war and China factor into the relationship. Madan also looks ahead to India’s objectives when it hosts the next G-20 Summit in September.

Show notes and transcript

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Who won the debt ceiling fight? Jun 05, 2023

David Wessel, senior fellow and director of the Hutchins Center on fiscal and Monetary Policy at Brookings, joins host David Dollar to discuss what’s in the debt ceiling deal reached between President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The deal, signed into law by the president on June 2, averts a debt default that was expected as early as June 5. Wessel explains the deal’s broad provisions, it’s impact on fiscal policy, and whether it resolves the long-term budget and debt issues.

Show notes and transcript

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Japan’s quiet leadership as it hosts the G7 summit in Hiroshima May 15, 2023

Mireya Solís, director of the Center for East Asian Policy Studies at Brookings, explains the significance of Japan hosting the G7 summit in Hiroshima, and how Tokyo centers its foreign policy on promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region. “This is Japan’s grand strategy,” Solís says, “this is really the roadmap that Japan has charted to achieve its security and prosperity.”

Show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/3VWzObg

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Making sense of China’s economy May 01, 2023

Tao Wang, chief China economist for UBS Investment Bank in Hong Kong, discusses her new book, Making Sense of China’s Economy (Routledge). She describes market-oriented and land reforms that helped diminish China’s state role in the economy, increased foreign investment, and increased urbanization. “China understands,” she says, “that opening China’s economy, being integrated with the world, has been tremendously beneficial for the economy over the last 40 years.”

Show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/3LCLfkI

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

How serious is the risk of war over Taiwan? Apr 17, 2023

Brookings Senior Fellows Richard Bush and Ryan Hass, co-authors with Bonnie Glaser of a new Brookings Press book on U.S.-Taiwan relations in the context of China’s challenge, argue that tensions between the PRC and Taiwan can only be resolved with the assent of Taiwan’s people. Taiwan’s presidential election result in 2024 will also affect how much pressure Beijing applies to cross-Taiwan Strait relations, they explain.

Show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/41avgjl

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Will Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse lead to a financial crisis? Apr 04, 2023

Donald Kohn, senior fellow in Economic Studies at Brookings and a former Federal Reserve vice chair, discusses why Silicon Valley Bank failed, what regulators did before and after the bank’s collapse, and whether or not this event could signal additional global financial problems in the future.

Show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/3nK60Bo

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

An update on Ukraine—security, economic, and humanitarian conditions Mar 20, 2023

A team of Brookings experts has just released the “Ukraine Index,” which presents security, economic, and political data to track the war’s course. One of the authors of the Index, Constanze Stelzenmüller, who directs the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings, joins host David Dollar to discuss the Index and the latest data on Ukraine’s economic, security, and humanitarian conditions.

Show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/3Fy9A7Y

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

China’s uncertain economic outlook for 2023 Mar 06, 2023

Eswar Prasad, a senior fellow in Global Economy and Development at Brookings and a professor at Cornell University, and host David Dollar discuss the outlook for China’s economy in 2023 as the annual National People’s Congress convenes in Beijing. Discussion topics include China’s economic growth, local finance and real estate, the role of China’s private sector in the economy, and what policies might emerge from the meeting.

Show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/3KTQ8G2

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Why US economic sanctions often fail Feb 21, 2023

Agathe Demarais, global forecasting director of the Economist Intelligence Unit, speaks with host David Dollar about her new book, Backfire: How Sanctions Reshape the World Against U.S. Interests (Columbia University Press). In the conversation, Demarais explains why sanctions are a frequent U.S. foreign policy tool, why sanctions are often ineffective, and how China and Russia are developing ways to circumvent sanctions.

Show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/3k0oZq7

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

What’s next for Brazil and Lula after the January 8 insurrection? Feb 06, 2023

Ted Piccone, a nonresident senior fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings and also senior advisor with the World Justice Project, talks with host David Dollar about Brazil’s challenges facing President Lula after the January 8 insurrection in Brasilia by followers of outgoing President Bolsonaro. Discussion topics include economic conditions, protecting the Amazon, regional and global trade dynamics, Brazil’s role in BRICS, and China’s influence in the region.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3HXUF8N

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

The politics of the debt ceiling debate in Congress Jan 23, 2023

On January 19, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen informed Congress that the department would implement “extraordinary measures” to allow the federal government to meet its obligations after reaching the debt ceiling. David Dollar speaks with Molly Reynolds, a senior fellow in Governance Studies, about the politics of the debt ceiling debate in Congress, including what leverage far right Republicans may have gained during the Speaker of the House election process, and what a possible bi-partisan budget deal could look like.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3iRdMYa

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Previewing the US and global economies in 2023 Jan 09, 2023

Host David Dollar and Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti, a senior fellow in Economic Studies, anticipate key trends in the U.S. and global economies. What’s the inflation picture and forecast for growth in the U.S.? What economic conditions will prevail in Europe, China, and Latin America? And what can poor, low-income, and emerging economies expect in the new year?

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3vJk92B

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Did the US-Africa Leaders Summit meet its objectives? Dec 19, 2022

David Dollar speaks with Aloysius Ordu, senior fellow and director of the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings, on the outcomes of the recent U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. Ordu, host of “Foresight Africa” podcast, describes the summit’s objectives, speaks to trade and investment issues, public health, and the new positive attitude from the White House toward the region.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3j9uOAP

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

The economics of the World Cup Dec 05, 2022

David Dollar speaks with Victor Matheson, a professor of economics at the College of the Holy Cross, about the economic implications for a country hosting the World Cup tournament. Prof. Matheson, author of a recent paper, “The Economics of the World Cup,” discusses the costs and benefits for the host country, whether sports stadiums generate economic activity, the impact on tourism, and FIFA’s role in organizing the quadrennial event.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3UsnNIj

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Dollar & Sense presents Reimagine Rural, a podcast about rural towns experiencing positive change Nov 28, 2022

In this special edition of “Dollar & Sense,” host David Dollar presents the first episode of a new podcast miniseries from Brookings: "Reimagine Rural," in which host Tony Pipa, a senior fellow at Brookings, visits rural towns across America, listening as local people tell the story of how they are enacting positive change in their communities and learning how public investment in rural people and places can lead to increased and equitable prosperity.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3AZXS3R

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

The midterm election’s impact on foreign policy and economic issues Nov 15, 2022

David Dollar speaks with Brookings Senior Fellow Bill Galston about how the 2022 midterm election results could impact foreign policy and global economic issues, and possibly complicate policymaking for the Biden administration. Plus, what the results may mean for the 2024 presidential election.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3Aav3kH

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Dollar & Sense presents Climate Sense, a new podcast about energy and climate change Nov 07, 2022

In this special edition of "Dollar & Sense," host David Dollar presents the first episode of a new podcast miniseries from Brookings: "Climate Sense," hosted by energy and climate expert Samantha Gross, a fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings and director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3sUj2M7

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Oil, gas, Russia, OPEC—What’s happening in world energy markets? Oct 31, 2022

Samantha Gross, director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at Brookings, talks with David Dollar about the state of world energy markets. How does Russia’s war on Ukraine impact Europe’s access to natural gas for the upcoming winter? What effect will new sanctions on Russia’s oil sector have on the war, on Europe, and on global markets? Will the oil production cut announced by OPEC+ raise energy prices around the world? And, is COP27, the upcoming global climate conference in Egypt, expected to produce any major developments?

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3fodeqW

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Checking in on China’s economy during the 20th Party Congress Oct 18, 2022

Eswar Prasad, a professor at Cornell University and senior fellow at Brookings, discusses China’s economic risks and opportunities with David Dollar as China’s 20th Communist Party Congress continues this week. Prasad and Dollar look at the general shape of China’s economy, it’s housing market, renminbi strength relative to the dollar, and whether President Xi Jinping will continue with a command-led economy that limits independence and innovation among enterprises.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3eGSF91

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Will protests in Iran end the Islamic Republic? Oct 03, 2022

Suzanne Maloney, vice president and director of Foreign Policy at Brookings, speaks with David Dollar about what the continuing demonstrations in Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini could mean for regime stability, plus Iran’s economic situation, the prospects of Iran returning to some form of a nuclear deal with the West, and what it would take for the U.S. and Iran to have a better relationship.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3rjX3gN

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Inflation trends in the US and globally Sep 19, 2022

Don Kohn, senior fellow in Economic Studies at Brookings, discusses inflation trends in the U.S. and abroad, the Federal Reserve’s actions to address rising costs, and inflationary expectations among consumers and businesses.

Show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/3xw40Pj

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

How a US-EU trade agreement could improve the economy, increase jobs, and strengthen democracy Sep 06, 2022

Sanjay Patnaik, director of the Center on Regulation and Markets at Brookings, discusses his new report on the benefits of a U.S.-EU free trade agreement, building on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiated by the Obama administration but scuttled by President Trump.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3KFzKa0

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Fixing the climate crisis will require local experimentation and solutions Aug 22, 2022

David Victor, a professor of innovation and public policy at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego and nonresident senior fellow at Brookings, joins David Dollar to discuss “Fixing the Climate: Strategies for an Uncertain World,” a new book he coauthored with Charles Sabel. Victor explains why global climate diplomacy and treaties that prescribe top-down solutions to climate change are not working. He argues solving the climate crisis will require local experimentation and cooperation between governments and the private sector to push the technological frontier and identify innovative solutions.

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

How three big bills in Congress will spur innovation and competitiveness Aug 08, 2022

Adie Tomer, senior fellow in Brookings Metro, unpacks three significant pieces of legislation either passed by or pending in Congress—the 2021 infrastructure measure, the CHIPS Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act—and their impact on infrastructure, innovation, and U.S. competitiveness on the global stage.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3vGTHqE

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

How to improve global supply chains Jul 25, 2022

Darrell West, vice president and director of Governance Studies at Brookings, discusses his new report, “Six ways to improve global supply chains.” In the conversation, West and host David Dollar discuss the recommendations for addressing recent snarls in supply chains resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine war, and the trade conflict between the U.S. and China.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3v4M9xB

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

Post-G7 summit, a time of great uncertainty in the global economy Jul 11, 2022

Douglas Rediker, founding partner of International Capital Strategies and a nonresident senior fellow at Brookings, discusses a range of global economic challenges that G7 leaders tackled in their recent summit in Germany. These include a U.S. proposal to cap the price of Russian energy exports (and why Rediker is skeptical about it); Russia’s default on sovereign debt and the risk of debt default in developing countries; the role of Chinese lending in developing economies; and the enormous cost of rebuilding Ukraine and who might bear it.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3yRfG0a

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

After France’s parliamentary elections, can Macron govern at home and lead abroad? Jun 27, 2022

In France’s recent parliamentary elections, President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party lost its National Assembly majority, while a leftist alliance of parties and Marine Le Pen’s far-right party made significant gains. Célia Belin, interim director of the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings, discusses how these results happened after Macron’s victory in the presidential contest, what they mean for governance in France, and how they may impact President Macron’s pursuit of a multilateralist foreign policy.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3nfSjHe

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

A short history of trade liberalization in developing countries Jun 13, 2022

Douglas Irwin, a professor at Dartmouth College and expert in the history of trade policy, talks with host David Dollar about some of the key events in trade liberalization in developing countries. From Taiwan to South Korea, and from Vietnam to some countries in Latin America and Africa, Irwin shares insights on how certain developing countries shifted to an export-strategy in the decades following World War II and began to integrate into the global economy.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3xfHI3s

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

US economic diplomacy in Asia May 31, 2022

President Biden recently completed his first trip to Asia, during which he launched Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity with a dozen partners in the region. On this episode, David Dollar speaks with retired U.S. diplomat Susan Thornton about the pillars of the new framework, its relationship to existing trade relationships like CPTPP, RCEP, and ASEAN, and what incentives nations in the region have for cooperation with the U.S. and China. Thornton, a senior fellow in the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School and a nonresident senior fellow John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings, also addresses U.S. economic diplomacy with Europe and how Russia’s war on Ukraine may affect America’s relationship with China and Asia more broadly.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3Go06eF

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

How workers got left behind in the pandemic while shareholder wealth soared May 16, 2022

Molly Kinder, a fellow in Brookings Metro, discusses with host David Dollar her new report, “Profits and the pandemic” (co-authored with Katie Bach and Laura Stateler), which examines pay practices and financial outcomes during the pandemic-era of 22 of the nation’s largest companies. Kinder notes that most of the large companies enjoyed record financial gains during the pandemic, and that while a few did provide workers with pay raises that exceed a living wage, most did not, and the modest wage gains workers did receive have been wiped out by inflation.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/39SgeJ3

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

Kevin Rudd on how to avoid war between the US and China May 04, 2022

Former Australia Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, now president of Asia Society, discusses his new book, "The Avoidable War: The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict between the US and Xi Jinping's China" (Public Affairs, 2022). Rudd calls Taiwan the “core strategic tension” between China and the United States, discusses how the U.S. and China can manage strategic competition, looks at trade issues in the region, and describes China’s challenge to the current U.S.-led international order.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3vrRGzc

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

Why globalization is shifting in favor of India, not China Apr 18, 2022

Arvind Subramanian, senior fellow at Brown University’s Watson Institute and Center for Contemporary South Asia, and former chief economic advisor to the Government of India, talks with host David Dollar about a range of trade and foreign relations issues India faces. In particular, he explains why globalization is shifting in India’s favor rather than China’s, how India views trade relations with China, Russia, and the West, and prospects for continued good relations with the United States, especially as India takes a more neutral stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3xutMEm

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

How the Ukraine war is affecting oil and gas markets Apr 04, 2022

Samantha Gross, director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at Brookings, talks with host David Dollar about the Ukraine war’s impact on energy prices. Gross explains the impact Russia’s war on Ukraine is having on natural gas supplies and prices, oil markets, and whether the U.S. should increase natural gas exports to Europe.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3J7eaZW

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

The Ukraine war’s impact on developing countries Mar 21, 2022

Indermit Gill, vice president for equitable growth, finance, and institutions at the World Bank and a Brookings nonresident senior fellow, talks with host David Dollar about how economic growth in developing countries has been affected by COVID and now the war in Ukraine. Gill explains that pre-existing vulnerabilities in developing countries and potential disruptions in energy, food, and commodities from the war may affect poorer countries much more than rich ones.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3JoKXKO

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

What you should know about sanctions on Russia Mar 01, 2022

Douglas Rediker, a nonresident senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings and in the Center on the United States and Europe, talks with David Dollar about sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine by the United States, Europe, and other nations. Rediker addresses a number of issues, including whether cutting Russian banks off SWIFT will make any difference, export control limitation of U.S. tech to Russia, the impact of sanctions on Russia’s energy sector, and if it’s possible to impose sanctions on Russian oligarchs.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3IC3hj1

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

Illegal trade in drugs and wildlife Feb 22, 2022

Vanda Felbab-Brown, senior fellow in Foreign Policy and director of the Initiative on Nonstate Actors at Brookings, joins David Dollar to talk about her research on illicit economies—including drug trafficking (fentanyl, meth, precursors) and wildlife trafficking—in China, Mexico, and elsewhere.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3JE9PxF

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

What’s causing inflation in the U.S. and how we can get out of it Feb 07, 2022

Donald Kohn, senior fellow in Economic Studies at Brookings and a former vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board, joins David Dollar to explore a range of issues on inflation in the U.S., including how the COVID-19 pandemic and the macro response to it have contributed to inflation, the role of monetary and fiscal policy in addressing it, and how inflation affects trade and exchange rates. They end with some policy ideas for the Biden administration.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3sdtKg5

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

What Americans really think about global trade Jan 24, 2022

Listening for America, a non-profit, non-partisan organization, recently released a report on what Americans from all walks of life really think about international trade and globalization. To discuss the report and its findings, host David Dollar is joined by Listening for America president Catherine Novelli, who has served in numerous trade policy roles in government and in the private sector.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3rBJw41

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

The state of Asian trade and trade agreements in 2022 Jan 10, 2022

Peter Petri, a professor at Brandeis International Business School and a nonresident senior fellow in the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings, joins David Dollar to discuss recent developments in Asian trade agreements and to look at regional trade issues in 2022. These include CPTPP—the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership—and RCEP, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which Petri says “could be a pivotal point in economic history.”

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3f0YGtI

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

The United States’ unusual recovery from pandemic recession Dec 20, 2021

Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti, senior fellow with the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, joins David Dollar to discuss his recent article on what he calls a “most unusual recovery” in the U.S. from the pandemic recession. Milesi-Ferretti analyzes U.S. GDP compared other G7 countries, and explores salient issues including exports and imports, private and government consumption, and consumer inflation.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3IW9DKT

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

Why is WTO reform so difficult? Dec 06, 2021

Mireya Solís, director of the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at Brookings, joins David Dollar for a conversation on reforming and modernizing the World Trade Organization so that it can meet today’s challenges, which include response to the pandemic, shoring up global supply chains, increasing living standards, and environmental sustainability. Solís highlights erosion in the WTO’s three central functions and asks whether its members can prevent it from becoming irrelevant.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/31ppX5m

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

The state of China's economy and US-China relations Nov 22, 2021

Eswar Prasad, Brookings senior fellow and a professor at Cornell University, joins host David Dollar to discuss the state of China's economy and U.S.-China relations. Prasad addresses a range of issues, including why China's economy is slowing, whether China's currency might be used as an international reserve currency, and what happened at the recent online summit between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/30DCvX5

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

Will COP26 in Glasgow spur progress on reducing carbon emissions? Nov 08, 2021

As the global climate change conference (COP26) continues in Glasgow, climate expert David Victor joins host David Dollar to talk about what’s been happening in Scotland and whether it will be viewed as a success. Victor, a professor of innovation and public policy at UC San Diego and co-director of the university’s Deep Decarbonization Initiative, discusses a range of issues, including whether countries are meeting their Paris Agreement commitments to reduce emissions, the target of $100 billion per year in climate aid for developing counties, and where the U.S. and China might be able to cooperate on climate issues.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3bGu1QF

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

The threat of catastrophic biodiversity loss Oct 25, 2021

Brookings Senior Fellow Vanda Felbab-Brown joins David Dollar to discuss the threat of biodiversity loss worldwide. Felbab-Brown explains the ominous trends in habitat and species loss—including the spread of illegal wildlife trafficking, the contributing role of human activity, and the compounding effects of climate change—and why the recent UN Biodiversity Conference in Kunming, China, was “underwhelming.” But, she says, trade that is well designed, monitored, and managed can give humans an incentive to preserve natural habitat.

Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3GfZQ10

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

Industrial decline and the rise of populists in Russia, the U.S., and Britain Oct 11, 2021

Brookings senior fellow Fiona Hill, a leading expert on Russia and Vladimir Putin and former senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council, joins David Dollar to discuss her new book, “There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the 21st Century” (Mariner Books). In her memoir, Hill describes growing up in a rapidly de-industrializing and decaying area in northeast England in the 1970s and ‘80s, how she came to study Soviet and Russian affairs in college, and how rapid economic transformations have led to the rise of populist leaders in Russia and recently in the United States. Hill tells Dollar that we need collective will that transcends politics to deal with current and emerging challenges in the U.S. and abroad.

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to bcp@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

How does control of the seas affect global trade and security? Sep 27, 2021

The vast majority of global trade today moves by sea, so control of the world’s oceans has become critical for both commerce and security. In this episode, Brookings Senior Fellow Bruce Jones joins David Dollar to discuss evolutions in sea-based trade, including the growing size of container ships, threat of modern piracy, explosion of data flows, and the transformation of global value chains.

Jones draws on his experience visiting ports around the world and sailing on one of the largest container ships to illustrate the mechanics of sea-based trade. He shares details from his travels in this conversation and his new book, “To Rule the Waves: How Control of the World’s Oceans Shapes the Fate of the Superpowers.”

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to bcp@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

How will the rise of the global middle class affect trade and consumption? Sep 13, 2021

Around the world, the middle class is expanding at a rate we have never seen before in history. Homi Kharas, a senior fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development at Brookings, joins David Dollar in this episode to discuss how that global middle class is defined and where growth is concentrated. Kharas also explains how preferences among the global middle class will affect production, trade, regional value chains, and efforts to address climate change for years to come.

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to bcp@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

Why did state-building efforts in Afghanistan fail? Aug 30, 2021

Afghanistan has received enormous amounts of foreign aid over the years, but despite the investment of funds and various efforts to build state capacity, the government quickly fell to the Taliban after the withdrawal of U.S. forces. To discuss what capacity-building efforts accomplished and why they ultimately fell short, David Dollar is joined by Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, director of the Center for Governance and Markets at the University of Pittsburgh.

Murtazashvili explains why the government’s unwillingness to reform led to the rapid unravelling witnessed earlier this month. She also describes how Taliban rule may impact women in Afghanistan, the opium trade, and the delivery of international aid.

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to bcp@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

Will COVID-19 mark the end of the old international order? Aug 16, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the greatest shock to the international order in decades, and unlike previous shocks, major powers like the United States did not step up to lead the world through it. Thomas Wright joins this episode to explain how that leadership vacuum shaped the pandemic response and has contributed to the rewriting of the postwar order.

Wright is a co-author of the new book “Aftershocks: Pandemic Politics and the End of the Old International Order,” which examines the political backdrop of the pandemic and how institutions performed once it arrived. He and David Dollar discuss why some economic institutions like central banks proved to be quite resilient and what the overall lack of international coordination means for the United States, China, and the global balance of power.

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to bcp@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were always meant to be a story of resilience Aug 02, 2021

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were supposed to showcase Japan’s resilience in the face of major setbacks and be a crowning event at the end of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s term in office, but the COVID-19 pandemic and a yearlong delay have threatened this narrative. Mireya Solís, director of the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at Brookings, joins David Dollar to discuss the political and economic background of these Olympic Games. Solís explains why it was important for Japan to tell a story of renewal after the Triple Disaster of 2011 and a period of economic stagnation. She also describes what the Olympics mean for current Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and for Japan’s relations with other countries in the region.

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to bcp@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

How can the US support democracy and development in Latin America? Jul 19, 2021

From widespread protests in Cuba to the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, recent unrest across Latin America has brought new attention to political and economic issues in the region and created diplomatic challenges for the Biden administration. To discuss how the United States should engage with Latin America, David Dollar is joined by Santiago Levy, a nonresident senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings and senior advisor to the United Nations Development Program.

Levy describes the negative effects of U.S. policy toward Cuba, his concerns about sovereign debt in the region, and how the U.S. could work with Latin American governments to rethink development strategies in order to achieve socially inclusive growth. Then, the conversation turns to Progresa-Oportunidades, a conditional cash transfer program Levy helped design during his career in public service in Mexico, and what lessons it could provide for similar economic programs proposed by the Biden administration.

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to bcp@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

How should the G-7 respond to China’s BRI? Jul 06, 2021

When the leaders of G-7 countries met in Carbis Bay last month, they announced a new Build Back Better World (B3W) plan to support infrastructure projects in low- and middle-income countries and respond to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

There are few details of exactly how the B3W partnership will work, and there are questions about whether focusing on infrastructure is the best way for the United States and its partners to counter China on the global stage. In this episode, Howard W. French joins David Dollar to discuss the challenges B3W will face and why the West would be better off competing in areas where it already has relative advantages.

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to bcp@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

Digital currencies are transforming the future of money Jun 21, 2021

Digital currencies like Bitcoin often make headlines for the massive swings in their value, but beyond the intrigue of skyrocketing and plummeting prices the rising popularity of cryptocurrencies poses serious questions for financial institutions and monetary policy. Eswar Prasad joins David Dollar for a conversation on the digitalization of money and what digital currencies could mean for the future of cash, international payments, and the strength of the U.S. dollar. Prasad also explains why some central banks have hesitated to introduce digital currencies while others have embraced them.

Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to bcp@brookings.edu, and follow us on Twitter at @policypodcasts.

We are a long way from vaccinating the world. Could a patent waiver help? Jun 07, 2021

While the United States has made great strides in vaccinating its population, many low- and middle-income countries are far behind and lack the supply of COVID-19 vaccines they need. Matthew M. Kavanagh joins David Dollar in this episode to explain what could be done to increase the global production of vaccines, including a proposal to waive the World Trade Organization rules protecting the intellectual property for vaccine technology.

Dollar & Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to BCP@Brookings.edu and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

What’s behind the semiconductor shortage and how long could it last? May 24, 2021

A global shortage of semiconductors has created serious anxiety in some industries and even caused automakers to halt production in several factories across North America. What led to this shortage, and is there anything manufacturers or the Biden administration can do to meet demand? David Dollar is joined by Don Clark, a contributor to The New York Times, to discuss the factors that triggered the recent supply issues and the potential implications for the future of chip manufacturing in the United States.

Dollar & Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to BCP@Brookings.edu and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

A new vision for American infrastructure May 10, 2021

President Biden has outlined a sweeping infrastructure plan that aims to address both historic needs—like bridges, tunnels, and roads—and modern challenges from climate change and digitalization. Adie Tomer, a fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, argues that this type of investment would create good paying jobs, improve equity, and make American businesses more globally competitive. Tomer joins David Dollar in this episode to discuss the potential of a major infrastructure investment before turning to the politics of passing Biden’s $2.3 trillion plan and how to pay for it.

Dollar & Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to BCP@Brookings.edu and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

What’s behind the globalization of R&D? Apr 26, 2021

Overseas research and development conducted by U.S. multinational corporations has grown nearly four-fold in the last two decades, and much of that growth has been in developing economies. Britta Glennon, an assistant professor in the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, joins David Dollar in this episode to explain what’s behind this growth and which countries have become new hubs for R&D investments. Glennon and Dollar also discuss the national security implications of this trend and what it signals about the likelihood of any decoupling between the U.S. and China.

Dollar & Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to BCP@Brookings.edu and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

How has the MCC responded to the challenges of COVID-19? Apr 12, 2021

Alexia Latortue, the deputy chief executive officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), joins David Dollar for a conversation about the MCC and how it has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Latortue and Dollar discuss strategies for building infrastructure and institutional capacity in developing countries, concerns over growing debt levels in many countries, and challenges facing U.S. foreign assistance programs today.

Dollar & Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to BCP@Brookings.edu and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

America needs a positive IMF agenda Mar 29, 2021

How will a new allocation of special drawing rights affect the global economy? Could International Monetary Fund (IMF) member countries do more to support low-income countries and afford more debt relief? And what effects will the recent $1.9 trillion U.S. recovery package have on emerging markets and currency disputes?

Mark Sobel is the U.S. chairman of the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum and previously represented the U.S. on the IMF’s executive board. He joins David Dollar to preview the IMF Spring Meetings and discuss current issues in U.S. monetary policy.

Dollar & Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to BCP@Brookings.edu and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

Anxiety about China’s rise will only hinder America’s response Mar 15, 2021

Americans have grown increasingly anxious about a rising China challenging the United States on the world stage, but the U.S. remains the stronger power in many ways. In this episode, Ryan Hass joins David Dollar to discuss the current state of U.S.-China relations and argue for a new China policy that’s rooted in the relative advantages that America possesses.

Hass is the author of a new book, “Stronger: Adapting America’s China Strategy in an Age of Competitive Interdependence.”

Dollar & Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to BCP@Brookings.edu and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

The Texas fiasco and the global push for green energy Mar 01, 2021

The recent power blackouts in Texas have raised serious questions about the state’s energy grid and how it is regulated. Jeffrey Ball joins David Dollar in this episode to explain what exactly went wrong and how policy decisions contributed to the crisis.

Ball is a scholar-in-residence at Stanford’s Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance where his research focuses on energy and the environment. He clarifies how renewable energy sources performed during February’s storm and their role in Texas’s energy sector. Ball and Dollar then turn to discuss economically efficient ways to decarbonize the U.S. power industry and the need for global cooperation to combat climate change.

Dollar & Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to BCP@Brookings.edu and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

What do we know about the Biden administration’s emerging trade policy? Feb 16, 2021

Global trade may not dominate the news in the early days of Joe Biden’s presidency, but it does factor into many of the challenges the United States is currently facing. Mary E. Lovely, a professor of economics at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, joins David Dollar in this episode to discuss the resilience of U.S. supply chains, the potential effects of Biden’s “Buy American” policy, U.S. engagement with China, and other early lessons from the Biden administration’s emerging trade agenda.

Dollar & Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to BCP@Brookings.edu and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

Could COVID-19 produce a ‘great reset’ for African economies? Feb 01, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has set back important progress on education, gender equality, and economic development across Africa, but it has also revealed a continent that is more integrated and acting with greater solidarity than before. Aloysius Uche Ordu, director of the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings, joins David Dollar in this episode to discuss the region’s top priorities for the year ahead and the findings of a new report, Foresight Africa 2021.

Dollar & Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to BCP@Brookings.edu and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

Moving from contention to cooperation in the trans-Atlantic relationship Jan 19, 2021

President-elect Biden has made it clear that restoring America’s standing with allies will be a priority for his administration. In this episode, Constanze Stelzenmüller explains how the administration can begin to repair the important trans-Atlantic relationship. Stelzenmüller and David Dollar discuss recent tensions between the United States and Europe, a new investment deal between China and the European Union, and how the U.S. and EU can coordinate a common approach toward China.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback to BCP@Brookings.edu and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

John R. Allen on restoring American leadership in 2021 Jan 04, 2021

From technology competition to the global rise of illiberalism, the United States will face numerous foreign policy challenges in the year ahead. John R. Allen, a retired U.S. Marine Corps four-star general and president of the Brookings Institution, joins David Dollar to discuss those challenges and how the new administration can work with America’s allies to meet them.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

Market-based solutions to climate change have failed to deliver Dec 21, 2020

Carbon pricing systems have been celebrated as instruments for combatting climate change, but how effective are they really? David Victor, co-chair of the Cross-Brookings Initiative on Energy and Climate, joins David Dollar to explain why market-based solutions for addressing climate change have fallen short of their promise. Victor examines how politics have hampered the effectiveness of market policies in key sectors, like transportation and aviation, and the political barriers the Biden administration will need to overcome in order to make real progress on climate change.

How can Biden fulfill his ‘Build Back Better’ agenda? Dec 07, 2020

President-elect Biden will face a myriad of economic challenges when he is inaugurated next month, including a pandemic that continues to spread and unemployment numbers that remain high. Jason Furman joins David Dollar to discuss how this crisis differs from the economic issues Biden faced in 2009, what should be prioritized in a short-term stimulus package and long-term reforms, and to what extent policymakers should worry about the federal debt when designing fiscal relief.

Reimagining the global economy for a post-COVID-19 world Nov 23, 2020

When the COVID-19 pandemic sent the global economy into a deep recession, it exposed structural weaknesses in economic institutions and highlighted the need for reform. The challenges countries face today are daunting, but this moment should be recognized as an opportunity to build back more sustainable and inclusive economies. David Dollar is joined by three Brookings experts—Eswar Prasad, Marcela Escobari, and Zia Qureshi—to discuss their forward-looking policy proposals for a post-COVID-19 world.

What you should know about RCEP, Asia’s new trade agreement Nov 19, 2020

This week, 15 countries in Asia and the Pacific joined the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which is arguably the largest free trade agreement in history. To explain the origins of the agreement and how it will affect economic integration across Asia, David Dollar is joined by Peter Petri, a nonresident senior fellow at Brookings and professor of International Finance at the Brandeis International Business School.

Recalibrating America's role in the world under a Biden presidency Nov 09, 2020

The 2020 election has revealed deep divisions in the United States and questions about what binds Americans together, but this is not the first time the country has experienced extreme polarization. Marvin Kalb, a senior fellow at Brookings and veteran journalist, joins David Dollar to explain how the current moment compares to other eras in American history. Dollar and Kalb also discuss how America’s role in the world has diminished under President Trump and whether a Biden administration can restore a U.S.-led international order.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

How have Trump’s trade wars affected Rust Belt jobs? Oct 19, 2020

President Trump’s critiques of U.S. trade policy are well known. He frequently lambasts ‘bad deals’ that favor America’s trading partners, and since taking office he has tried to use tariffs and new trade agreements to reduce the trade deficit and bring back manufacturing jobs. So, how have his policies affected American workers? What impact did President Trump’s tariffs have on important swing states like Ohio and Michigan? To answer these questions, David Dollar is joined by Sandra Polaski, a senior research scholar at Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

The global competition to govern digital trade Oct 12, 2020

The exchange of data and digital services has become a new frontier for U.S.-China competition. To discuss the scale of digital services trade and the United States’ attempts to regulate it through trade agreements, David Dollar is joined by Joshua P. Meltzer, a senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings.

Meltzer is the author of a new paper for Brookings’s Global China series titled “China’s digital services trade and data governance: How should the United States respond?”

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

Challenges for the next president and lessons from the first debate Oct 01, 2020

The person elected president of the United States this November will have enormous influence over America’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated recession. To discuss the differences in how President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden approach these issues, and lessons from the first presidential debate, David Dollar is joined by William A. Galston, a senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings and expert on campaigns and political theory.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s vision for the WTO Sep 21, 2020

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has served as the finance minister of Nigeria, the managing director of the World Bank, and she is currently a candidate for the director-general position at the World Trade Organization. She joins David Dollar in this episode to discuss the role trade plays in global development and what she would prioritize as director-general.

Okonjo-Iweala is a nonresident distinguished fellow with the Africa Growth Initiative in the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

What’s the jobs outlook this Labor Day weekend? Sep 05, 2020

The United States’ economy is beginning to recover from the COVID-19 recession, but there’s still a lot of progress yet to be made. Ahead of Labor Day, Stephanie Aaronson, the vice president and director of Economic Studies at Brookings, joins David Dollar to discuss what new employment data can tell us about how various sectors and demographic groups are experiencing the recovery differently.

Aaronson offers several policy reforms the U.S. could pursue to make work more family friendly. She also explains how recent changes at the Federal Reserve aim to achieve more inclusive growth.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

Michael Spence on US-China competition and Industry 4.0 Aug 24, 2020

Michael Spence is a Nobel Prize-winning economist, leading expert in Industry 4.0, and someone with the opportunity to advise the Chinese government. He joins this episode of Dollar & Sense to discuss global technology competition and how emerging technologies will affect the future of economic development.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

How is COVID-19 affecting US trade? Aug 10, 2020

In this episode of Dollar & Sense, we flip the format and ask host David Dollar what new data can tell us about how the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated recession are affecting U.S. trade. Dollar shares insights on which industries have been hit hardest, how the recession will alter the U.S. trade deficit and the phase one trade deal with China, and the likelihood American companies begin reshoring their manufacturing and value chains.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

A progressive case for free trade, immigration, and global capital Jul 27, 2020

Globalization has earned a bad reputation in the United States for contributing to many of the challenges that American workers face. Rather than trying to reverse globalization with more protectionism, a position that’s gained traction in Washington, Reed College Professor Kimberly Clausing argues the U.S. should pursue policies that directly help workers, like wage insurance and tax reform. She joins David Dollar to make the case for openness and recommend complementary policies that would ensure the benefits of globalization are evenly shared.

Clausing is the author of “Open: The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital.”

Will China's debt bubble ever pop? Jul 13, 2020

China’s buildup of debt to fuel economic growth has raised fears of an eventual collapse. So, what factors would precipitate such a collapse? And if one were to occur, how would it affect the rest of the world? How can Chinese policymakers guard against financial crisis? These are questions that Bloomberg Economics chief economist Tom Orlik takes up in his new book, China: The Bubble That Never Pops. Orlik joins David Dollar in this episode to discuss China’s economic growth model, the potential for reforms, and how the economy has responded to the trade war and COVID-19.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

Africa’s roadmap for long-term economic growth Jun 29, 2020

In his new book “Unlocking Africa’s Business Potential,” Landry Signé shows why Africa is ripe for business investment, citing fast-growing consumer and business spending, improved political stability and business environments, regional integration, and a burgeoning youth population eager to capitalize on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Signé joins David Dollar to explain which sectors – like agriculture and manufacturing – offer particularly high potential returns, and he details the trends that should leave us all optimistic about the potential for Africa’s long-term economic growth.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

Sen. Tom Carper on the trade issues confronting America Jun 15, 2020

Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) joins David Dollar to discuss today’s pressing issues in global trade, including the security of Hong Kong, U.S.-China economic relationship, and implementation of the USMCA. Sen. Carper emphasizes the need for bipartisan solutions to meet these challenges and argues that Congress should reclaim its authority over shaping trade policy.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

The US-China tech rivalry shapes the economic relationship Jun 08, 2020

China’s technological rise has led to anxiety in the United States over the possibility that China will dominate technologies of the future – but is there any merit to those concerns? Peter Petri, a nonresident senior fellow at Brookings and professor of International Finance at the Brandeis International Business School, joins David Dollar to provide an overview of technology competition between China and the United States.

Dollar and Petri are both contributors to a new book, "China 2049," focused on how China may reform as it seeks to become the world’s next economic superpower.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

What’s at stake in China’s new national security legislation for Hong Kong? Jun 01, 2020

China’s legislature, the National People’s Congress, recently voted to prepare national security legislation that will impose new restrictions on Hong Kong and may threaten the civil and political rights of the people there. To explain what led to this recent escalation and the implications for Hong Kong’s “special status” under U.S. law, David Dollar is joined by Richard Bush, a nonresident senior fellow in the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at Brookings.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

Don’t count on suing China for coronavirus compensation May 18, 2020

Members of Congress and the Trump administration have been outspoken in their calls to hold China accountable for the human and economic costs of the coronavirus – likely through lawsuits filed in U.S. courts. But is suing China for compensation legally viable? How would it affect other American interests around the world and the U.S.-China economic relationship? Robert Williams, the executive director of the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School and a nonresident senior fellow at Brookings, joins David Dollar to explain the legal obstacles any case would face and why these plans could backfire.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

How to ensure Africa has the financial resources to address COVID-19 May 04, 2020

As countries around the world fall into a recession due to the coronavirus, what effects will this economic downturn have on Africa? Brahima Sangafowa Coulibaly joins David Dollar to explain the economic strain from falling commodity prices, remittances, and tourism, and also the consequences of a recent G-20 decision to temporarily suspend debt service payments for Africa’s poorest countries. Coulibaly emphasizes that the G-20’s actions were an important first step, but more must be done to guarantee countries have the financial resources they need to fight the pandemic.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

What drove oil prices through the floor this week? Apr 22, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has sent crude oil prices plummeting, so much so that the price for West Texas Intermediate oil dropped below zero dollars earlier this week. In this special edition of the podcast, Samantha Gross joins David Dollar to explain the factors influencing recent changes in demand for oil and the long-term effects the coronavirus could have on U.S. oil production and the development of renewable energies.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

The politics of Congress's COVID-19 response Apr 20, 2020

In the face of economic and health challenges posed by COVID-19, Congress, an institution often hamstrung by partisanship, quickly passed a series of bills allocating trillions of dollars for economic stimulus and relief. In this episode, Sarah Binder joins David Dollar to discuss the politics behind passing that legislation and lingering uncertainties about its oversight and implementation. Binder and Dollar also cover lessons from the federal response to the 2008 recession that could be applied today and what we might expect to see in future legislation before Congress.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

How will COVID-19 reshape America’s logistics workforce? Apr 06, 2020

What effect will the COVID-19 pandemic have on the 9.2 million Americans working in logistics? Adie Tomer joins David Dollar to discuss the geographic distribution of logistics workers, their role in supply chains, the lack of protection for essential workers, and the necessity to create a more equitable social contract for America’s labor force.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

How will the Chinese economy rebound from COVID-19? Mar 23, 2020

What effect has COVID-19 had on the Chinese economy and phase one of the U.S.-China deal? Could the United States or other nations draw lessons from China’s response to the virus? David Dollar is joined in this episode of Dollar & Sense by Dexter Roberts, former China Bureau Chief for Bloomberg Businessweek, to discuss these and other questions about the economic implications of COVID-19.

Roberts, author of the new book “The Myth of Chinese Capitalism,” explains the particular role migrant workers play in the Chinese economy and how that role may evolve as China recovers from this public health and economic crisis.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

How might COVID-19 affect the global economy? Mar 09, 2020

As COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, Warwick J. McKibbin joined us from his home in Australia to discuss how the novel coronavirus may disrupt the global economy. McKibbin, a nonresident senior fellow at Brookings, authored a recent report outlining seven different scenarios of how COVID-19 might evolve and the implications each scenario would have on macroeconomic outcomes and financial markets.

As part of their conversation, McKibbin and Dollar also discuss how this epidemic compares to SARS and why it will make fulfilling the recent trade deal between China and the United States difficult.

A transcript of their discussion is available here.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

To help Syrian refugees, Turkey and the EU should open more trading opportunities Mar 02, 2020

After nine years of political conflict in Syria, more than 5.5 million Syrians are now displaced as refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, with more than 3.6 million refugees in Turkey alone. It is unlikely that many of these refugees will be able to return home or resettle in Europe, Canada, or the United States. Attention has therefore turned to how to improve the ability for these refugees to integrate into Turkey’s economy and society.

In this episode of Dollar & Sense, Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Kemal Kirişci joins David Dollar to offer his proposal for supporting refugees by pairing trade concessions with economic inclusion. Specifically, Kirişci recommends extending European Union trade concessions in the agricultural sector to incentivize Turkey to better integrate refugees into its labor market.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

How will the UK use financial sanctions in a post-Brexit world? Feb 18, 2020

In this episode of Dollar & Sense, David Dollar is joined by Tom Keatinge to discuss the ramifications Brexit will have on the United Kingdom’s use of financial sanctions and regulation of financial crime.

Keatinge, the director of the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), explains how London currently cooperates with other major financial sectors around the world – like France, New York, and Hong Kong – in financial regulations and creating sanctions regimes. Keatinge also describes how that relationship may change during the Brexit transition period between now and December 31, 2020.

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What do we know about the coronavirus and the global response? Feb 10, 2020

David Dollar is joined in this special episode of Dollar & Sense by Amanda McClelland, the senior vice president of the Prevent Epidemics team at Resolve to Save Lives, to discuss the severity of the Wuhan coronavirus and the Chinese response to prevent the disease from spreading.

McClelland, who worked on the response to the Ebola crisis, describes the unique threat the coronavirus poses for Africa. Acknowledging that climate change and globalization will make future outbreaks of deadly disease more likely, she also offers recommendations for how the global community could work together to better prepare for and detect future epidemics.

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What can shipping containers tell us about the US-China trade war? Feb 03, 2020

In this episode of Dollar & Sense, Brookings Senior Fellow David Dollar is joined by Lori Ann LaRocco to discuss “phase one” of the trade agreement between China and the U.S. and LaRocco’s new book, “Trade War: Containers Don’t Lie, Navigating the Bluster.” In the discussion and in her book, LaRocco explains how we can better understand the implications of President Trump’s tariffs by following trade flows and analyzing the effects on specific ports and products like soybeans, aluminum, and steel.

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What’s driving populism’s rise on both sides of the Atlantic? Jan 21, 2020

Not long after the yellow vest movement called attention to the resurgence of populism, strikes and demonstrations over pension reforms have disrupted France. Across Europe, long-popular social democratic parties are losing power in the face of economic discontent, distrust of institutions, and anxiety about globalization. Similar sentiments have shaken up politics in the United States.

In this episode of Dollar & Sense, David Dollar is joined by Célia Belin, a visiting fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings. They look at the factors driving the rise of populism across the EU, the U.K., and the U.S. and discuss what it could mean for trade and globalization.

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Will the new US-China trade deal end the trade war? Jan 16, 2020

The U.S. and China recently signed what's being called "phase one" of a trade agreement, rolling back some tariffs on Chinese goods in exchange for China promising increased purchases of U.S. goods and services.

David Dollar breaks down the details of the new deal, including China's commitments on intellectual property rights and technology transfers, whether the U.S. can increase production to meet those export goals, and the likelihood of any further concessions anytime soon.

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The Saudi Aramco IPO and the future of global oil markets Jan 06, 2020

Last month, Saudi Arabia sold about 1.5% of Saudi Aramco, a government-owned oil company, in an in an initial public offering (IPO). Shares have been sold on the Tadawul, Saudi Arabia’s stock exchange, and while the IPO has valued Aramco at $1.7 trillion, its performance was disappointing overall.

To discuss the Aramco IPO and other developments in the global oil market, David Dollar is joined by Samantha Gross, a fellow in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings and Energy Security and Climate Initiative. Their conversation covers Saudi Arabia’s efforts to diversify its economy, long-term trends in oil production and demand, and how the recent killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani could affect markets.

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Sen. Pat Toomey on why the USMCA falls short Dec 20, 2019

Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) has been an outspoken advocate of free trade and a critic of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which recently passed in the House of Representatives. In this episode of Dollar & Sense, he joins host David Dollar to explain why.

Sen. Toomey explains where he believes reforms to NAFTA are needed and why the USMCA falls short — with a focus on domestic content requirements, investor protections, and intellectual property rights. He also discusses the first phase of a trade deal with China and his proposed legislation to reform Section 232 of the Trade Security Act.

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Is China undermining the global economic order or helping build it? Dec 09, 2019

China faces criticism from many who perceive its actions as adversarial to the global economic order. At the same time, globalization helped lift 800 million Chinese out of poverty. What can we glean about Beijing’s approach to that order?

Wang Huiyao, the founder and director of Center for China and Globalization, joins host David Dollar to discuss China’s economic development over recent decades and its evolving role in multilateral organizations like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and World Trade Organization. Their conversation also touches on Washington’s criticisms of Chinese trade practices today, how they affect the U.S.-China trade war, and the prospects of China making meaningful reforms.

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What have we learned from the trade war with China? Nov 25, 2019

On the first episode of the Dollar & Sense podcast, released one year ago this week, Brookings Senior Fellows Eswar Prasad and David Dollar discussed the United States’ concerns with Chinese trade practices, including access to markets and intellectual property rights, that are at the root of the U.S.-China trade war. Prasad rejoins Dollar to reflect on what change has occurred in the past year – from recent developments in bilateral trade negotiations, to China’s domestic economic reforms and the strength of the Chinese economy.

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How do we police currency wars and manipulation? Nov 11, 2019

Mark Sobel, the U.S. chairman of the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum, joins Senior Fellow David Dollar to discuss contemporary issues in the international monetary system, including the strength of the dollar and what role a currency agreement could play in a U.S.-China trade deal. Sobel, who served as the U.S. representative at the International Monetary Fund, also offers his perspective on the challenges the IMF faces in trying to police currency manipulation, debates over how to fund the IMF, and whether the Fund has enough resources to adequately respond to a future economic crisis.

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Sen. Rob Portman on the importance of a fair global trading system Oct 28, 2019

Ohio Senator Rob Portman has been involved in shaping American trade policy throughout his career, from his role as the United States Trade Representative to position on the Senate Finance Committee. Today, he speaks with Brookings Senior Fellow David Dollar about the state of the U.S. trade relations with Mexico, Canada, and China, and the importance of enforcing fair trading norms around the world.

Portman explains why he believes the proposed United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) is an improvement to NAFTA, emphasizing the need to update trade agreements to include issues like digital trade and labor enforcement, and the likelihood the agreement is passed by Congress. Later, Portman and Dollar discuss the future of the U.S. economic relationship with China and structural obstacles that stand in the way of a meaningful U.S.-China trade deal.

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The US needs updated sanctions programs for an era of great power competition Oct 14, 2019

Following the September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001, the United States developed a powerful set of sanctions aimed at restricting the financing of terrorist activities. While those tools were initially targeted at organizations like al-Qaida and later ISIS, they have also been applied to rogue states like Iran and North Korea.

In this episode of Dollar & Sense, David Dollar is joined by Michael Greenwald, a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center who helped design sanctions programs at the U.S. Treasury, to discuss the effectiveness of these tools and why they need to be updated for an era of great power competition.

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The story of Vietnam’s economic revolution Sep 30, 2019

In this episode of Dollar & Sense, Senior Fellow David Dollar is in Hanoi, Vietnam to interview Madame Pham Chi Lan, the former secretary general of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, about the reforms that underpinned Vietnam’s economic revolution. Dollar and Madam Lan discuss how Vietnam opened itself to foreign trade and direct investment, the rise of the country’s private sector, and the repercussions of the U.S.-China trade war.

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How smart economic policy can help combat climate change Sep 16, 2019

Ahead of the United Nations General Assembly and Climate Action Summit, World Resources Institute President and CEO Andrew Steer joins Senior Fellow David Dollar to discuss the steps countries are taking to address climate change and whether it's enough. Dollar and Steer focus on the economic policies that can combat rising global temperatures, including financial reforms, carbon pricing, public and private investments, and technological innovation.

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A back to school primer on global trade issues Sep 03, 2019

At Brookings, we often benefit from the support of talented students that intern with our research and communications teams. Some of those interns return to campus this week for the start of a new school year, and before their classes begin, we took the opportunity to ask what questions they have about today's volatile trade landscape. In this episode of Dollar & Sense, Senior Fellow David Dollar answers those questions and provides an overview of the big stories in trade policy, including the U.S.-China trade war, rising tensions between South Korea and Japan, and how automation and artificial intelligence affect American jobs.

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France is not alone in its plan to tax tech giants Aug 19, 2019

Lilian Faulhaber, a professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, joins Senior Fellow David Dollar to discuss France’s new digital services tax and the implications it will have for large American tech companies like Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon.

While the French plan may become a point of contention at the G7 summit in Biarritz, France later this month, similar proposals are being pursued in countries across Europe. Faulhaber explains the push for a digital tax in the United Kingdom and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the likelihood of coordinated global efforts on international tax policy and multinational tax avoidance.

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Is China really manipulating its currency? Aug 06, 2019

Amid a turbulent week in the U.S.-China trade war, Senior Fellow David Dollar explains why the value of China’s yuan is falling and whether the U.S. Treasury Department’s designation of China as a currency manipulator is accurate. Dollar also discusses the effect that the yuan’s depreciation had on the U.S. stock market, why markets stabilized on Tuesday, and the prospects of a de-escalation of tensions.

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Where do the Democratic candidates stand on trade? Aug 02, 2019

In this episode of Dollar & Sense, David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at Brookings, joins David Dollar as they offer their reactions to this week’s primary debates and unpack the trade policies of the Democratic candidates running for president. Wessel and Dollar describe how Democrats’ positions compare to President Trump’s trade policies, with a focus on Senators Warren and Sanders.

They also discuss whether embracing free trade or protectionist policies will be more politically viable, the effect President Trump’s tariffs have had on the U.S. economy, and the Federal Reserve’s recent decision to cut interest rates for the first time in over ten years.

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The geography of prosperity: How to help the areas lagging behind Jul 22, 2019

Jay Shambaugh, a senior fellow at Brookings and director of the Hamilton Project, joins David Dollar to discuss why economic prosperity is concentrated in certain regions of the United States while other areas are left behind. Their conversation draws from “Place-based policies for shared economic growth,” a recent book from the Hamilton Project that presents strategies for addressing regional inequality and explains why many previous place-based proposals have failed.

Shambaugh and Dollar also unpack the significance of U.S. presidential candidates advocating for manipulating the value of the dollar to support U.S. manufacturing and whether that would help traditionally industrial areas like the old Rust Belt.

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Could China’s digital payment system be a model around the world? Jul 08, 2019

Two Chinese companies – Alibaba and Tencent – have developed a new payment system that relies on digital wallets, smart phones, and QR codes, not on banks or bank-issued credit like the system prevalent in United States. Senior Fellow David Dollar is joined by Aaron Klein, the policy director of the Center on Regulation and Markets, to discuss the details of China’s system, whether it might become more common outside China, and the impact similar advances in financial technology could have around the world.

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Chinese perspectives on trade and the economic tension with the US Jun 24, 2019

In this episode of Dollar & Sense, economist and professor Yiping Huang joins David Dollar to discuss the drivers of economic growth in China. Their conversation spans China’s development since its initial economic liberalization in the 1970s, the role of foreign investment in the Chinese economy, and China’s perspective on growing trade tensions with the United States. Finally, Yiping explains his view of China’s optimal strategy in navigating U.S. trade negotiations and continued reform and opening.

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Former USTR Charlene Barshefsky on the obstacles to a US-China trade deal Jun 10, 2019

In this episode of Dollar & Sense, former United States Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky joins David Dollar to discuss the history of the United States’ economic engagement with China. Their conversation covers China’s entry and membership in the World Trade Organization, how domestic Chinese politics have affected the country’s trade policies, and the lasting impact of the global financial crisis on U.S.-China relations. Finally, Barshefsky outlines the prospect of the two countries reaching a trade deal in the near future.

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What's at stake in the US-Mexico tariff dispute? Jun 06, 2019

In a special episode of Dollar & Sense, Fellow Geoffrey Gertz discusses the ongoing tariff dispute between Mexico and the United States. Gertz explains the likelihood of the Trump administration imposing tariffs and the potential costs those tariffs would have for both Mexico and the U.S.

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Southeast Asia: Caught in the middle of US-China competition May 28, 2019

Are Southeast Asian nations being forced to choose between China and the United States on issues like infrastructure, trade, and security? That’s one of the key questions explored in this episode as host David Dollar interviews Jonathan Stromseth, the Lee Kuan Yew Chair in Southeast Asian Studies and a senior fellow at Brookings. Dollar and Stromseth tackle a variety of related issues, including the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy of the Trump administration; the effect that China’s economic engagement in the region—in particularly its Belt and Road Imitative—has on governance and democracy; and specific cases like Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam.

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What role do sanctions play in US foreign policy? May 13, 2019

Elizabeth Rosenberg, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins David Dollar to discuss the role financial and economic sanctions play in U.S. foreign policy. Their conversation outlines how sanctions have been imposed against Iran and North Korea, why the U.S. is uniquely positioned to use sanctions as an instrument, the strength of the dollar, and concerns with sanctions being overused as a means for reaching diplomatic ends.

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Tariffs on China are no substitute for a trade deal May 10, 2019

In a special episode of Dollar & Sense, Senior Fellow David Dollar provides an update on the state of U.S.-China trade talks following the latest round of negotiations in Washington this week. Dollar explains recent escalations and the new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, what to anticipate as negotiations move forward, and new research on the impact tariffs have on U.S. firms and the economy.

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China’s Belt and Road stretches to Africa Apr 29, 2019

Deborah Brautigam, director of the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, joins Senior Fellow David Dollar to discuss China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its implications for Africa. Brautigam and Dollar address the scale of Chinese financing in Africa and around the world, debt-trap diplomacy, labor issues, and much more.

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Robert Koopman on global value chains and the WTO Apr 15, 2019

Robert Koopman, the chief economist at the World Trade Organization (WTO), joins Senior Fellow David Dollar to discuss the role global value chains play in world trade and the effects they have on developing economies, advanced economies, and the WTO.

Their conversation draws from a new report published by the WTO and its partners which summarizes research on global value chains and the implications of emerging technologies.

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What's next for Brexit Apr 01, 2019

Amanda Sloat, the Robert Bosch Senior Fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe, joins host David Dollar to give an update on Brexit. She explains why Brexit did not occur as originally expected on March 29; what the process for UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Parliament, and the EU looks like going forward; and important issues such as the Irish border, the UK's potential for pursuing an independent trade policy, the "Norway model," implications of a "no-deal" Brexit, and the possibility of a second referendum.

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Ernesto Zedillo on globalization, NAFTA and the wall Mar 18, 2019

Ernesto Zedillo, former president of Mexico and now director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, talks with David Dollar about the importance of globalization for developing countries, the erosion of multilateralism, NAFTA and its proposed replacement—the USMCA—and other issues on trade. Dollar also asks Zedillo whether President Trump’s push to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico is damaging the bilateral relationship.

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Wendy Cutler on how to enforce a US-China trade deal Mar 04, 2019

Wendy Cutler, vice president of The Asia Society Policy Institute and former acting deputy U.S. trade representative, joins David Dollar to discuss the structural issues in the U.S.-China trade negotiations and how a trade agreement between the two countries could be enforced. Cutler and Dollar explain the enforcement mechanisms at the administration’s disposal, the issues of intellectual property rights and state enterprises, and much more.

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Why US-China trade talks are going into overtime Feb 25, 2019

In a special episode of Dollar and Sense, David Dollar provides an update on the current state of U.S.-China trade negotiations. He explains why the March 1 deadline to reach a trade deal has been pushed back, what a potential agreement could look like, and how an agreement—once one is made—could be enforced.

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Janet Yellen on monetary policy, currencies, and manipulation Feb 19, 2019

Currency values play a critical role in international trade, influencing the profitability of exporting and importing. Large movements in currency values are often controversial, leading to accusations of “manipulation” or even “currency wars.”

In this episode, Janet Yellen, distinguished fellow in residence with the Economic Studies Program and former chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, discusses with host David Dollar the links among monetary policy, exchange rates, and trade. She cites the “taper tantrum” of 2013 and the Chinese devaluation of 2015 as cases where Fed policy and currency markets influenced each other.

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Trade priorities for Congress: A conversation with Rep. Rick Larsen Feb 04, 2019

Senior Fellow David Dollar talks with Representative Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) about a range of trade issues on the 116th Congress's plate, including the U.S.-China trade war, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, trade with Japan, and the new NAFTA. Congressman Larsen represents Washington State's 2nd District, serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, and is co-chair of the bipartisan U.S.-China Working Group.

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Anxiety about the global economy in Davos Jan 22, 2019

In this episode, Senior Fellow David Dollar and Nonresident Senior Fellow Douglas A. Rediker discuss the global economic conditions that will be on the minds of leaders assembled at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Rediker and Dollar cover the ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and China, selection of the next World Bank president, the International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization, and generalized uncertainties about the global economy.

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How Trump’s trade policies will affect manufacturing Jan 07, 2019

Senior Fellow David Dollar speaks with Brad Setser, the Steven A. Tananbaum senior fellow for international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations, about a range of trade topics, including currency issues, U.S.-China trade tensions, whether President Trump’s tariffs could affect manufacturing, and the proposed U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA).

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All about the Trans-Pacific Partnership Dec 24, 2018

On December 30, the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement among 11 Asia-Pacific nations comes into effect. The United States was part of the original agreement, but the Trump administration pulled out of the trading bloc. David Dollar talks with Mireya Solís, director of the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, about the TPP, its effects on tariffs, its provisions on e-commerce, and Japan's role in keeping the agreement alive after the U.S. departed. Discussion also focused on China's relationship from the outside to the pact, the WTO, state-owned enterprises, and how other nations—including the U.S.—could join.

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Trade issues for the new Congress and the 2020 election Dec 10, 2018

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow David Dollar speaks with Elaine Kamarck, senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings, about the role trade issues played in the 2018 midterm elections, and what trade matters are likely to come up for the new Congress, such as tariffs and the auto industry. Also, Dollar and Kamarck look ahead to how trade might impact the 2020 presidential race for both parties.

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US-China trade war, or trade deal? Nov 26, 2018

In this first episode of the new Brookings trade podcast Dollar & Sense, Senior Fellow David Dollar speaks with Senior Fellow Eswar Prasad, the Tolani Senior Professor of Trade Policy at Cornell University and a leading expert on the Chinese economy, about a range of issues in the U.S.-China relationship. The conversation includes topics such as U.S. and Chinese trade practices, bilateral trade balances, China's economy and currency, the U.S.-China trade war, and whether Presidents Trump and Xi can make a deal at their meeting during the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires.

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Introducing Dollar & Sense, a trade podcast from the Brookings Institution Nov 14, 2018

From tariffs and trade wars to the new Trans Pacific Partnership and NAFTA’s replacement, trade has been making a lot of headlines recently, especially since the election of Donald Trump who’s redefined America’s role on the global stage with his America-first posture.

Dollar & Sense is a podcast about all things trade. From local ports and markets to international trade and diplomacy, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow David Dollar and guests explain how our global trading system is built and its effect on our everyday lives.

Stay tuned for upcoming episodes on the U.S.-China trade war and the Trump-Xi meeting; how the outcome of the 2018 midterm elections will affect policy toward trade; and much more.

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