World Perspectives

Trade Abusers; Working Class Appeals; Healthy Elites

Trade AbusersThe West blames China for over-production but the global narrative is that China has embraced global trade and it is the U.S. that has become isolationist. This framing is disputed by Stewart Paterson at the Singapore-based Hinrich Foundation. He notes that trade flows show the opposite. America has played an outsized role as an importer and despite Trump I tariffs and those retained by Biden, the nation’s trade deficit has only grown larger, especially when contrasted with China. Meanwhile, Beijing’s “import preferences steadily narrowed and its propensity to import fell as it focused trade policy on stockpiling critical commodities, client supplier-countries, and an emphasis on self-reliance.” China’s propensity to import as...

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Trade Policy Contradictions

There are numerous trade policy contradictions, both between the U.S. and other countries, and within U.S. politics. Internationally, China worries about its import dependence for oil and food, investing heavily in alternative energy and domestic food production while encouraging livestock prod...

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From WPI Consulting

Forecasting developments in production agriculture

On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.

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