Dollar & Sense: The Brookings Trade Podcast

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...

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 me...

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...

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 conte...

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 decade...

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 –...

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 p...

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 wor...

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 Michae...

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...

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 a...

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...

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 pu...

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 te...

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 foc...

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 i...

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 becom...

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...

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 financ...

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. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts  here  or on  Apple Podcasts , send feedback email to  BCP@Brookings.edu , an...

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...

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 b...

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...

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.  Subs...

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 implicati...