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Douglas Irwin

@douglasirwin.bsky.social
8K followers 174 following 162 posts

Trade/economic history @Dartmouth College @Peterson Institute for International Economics Website: sites.dartmouth.edu/dirwin

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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Brilliantly effective demonstration of the inanity of the Jones Act👇
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Dartmouth Arts and Sciences @dartmouthartsci.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
"Canadians are voting with their feet and not coming to the U.S. and also voting with their pocketbook and not buying as many U.S. products.” Economics professor @douglasirwin.bsky.social discusses the impact of broad-sweeping U.S. tariffs on Canadian trade and declining Canadian tourism.
wcax.com
At NH winery hit by tariffs, Pappas calls for small business exemptions
Soaring diesel prices, higher costs for imported goods, and fewer visitors from Canada are hitting a winery in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region.
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Lot of discussion about MFN at the recent WTO public forum.... Some thoughts (drawing on history) here: www.thefreedomfrequency.org/p/why-most-f...
thefreedomfrequency.org
Why "Most Favored Nation" Is Losing Favor
The US and Europe say the nondiscrimination ideal fails to address security and fairness—and to restrain China.
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Dartmouth Arts and Sciences @dartmouthartsci.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
"There’s been no president in modern history who has used the tariff threat nearly as much as Donald Trump.” @dartmouthecon.bsky.social professor @douglasirwin.bsky.social comments on the scale of President Trump’s tariff policy.
cnn.com
Analysis: ‘Voters are like, No thanks’: Trump’s tariffs fall flat with the working class | CNN Politics
It’s become an article of faith for trade hardliners in both parties that a protectionist agenda is a guaranteed pathway to building support among working-class voters. But now that President Donald T...
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
This upends my entire childhood understanding of how the world works... www.nytimes.com/2026/09/04/u...
nytimes.com
Photo of Road Runner Snagged by Coyote Shows That Cartoons Were a Lie
Here’s some bad news: Sometimes the coyote does win.
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Jeff inspired many of us in economic history and he was incredibly supportive even if you weren't his student...a great loss, RIP
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
@chadpbown.com warns that China 🇨🇳 will be the winner if the US 🇺🇸 keeps up the trade war with Canada 🇨🇦 . . . .There’s Only One Winner of a Trade War With Canada www.nytimes.com/2026/08/26/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | There’s Only One Winner of a Trade War With Canada
China is the real problem, and Washington needs all the allies it can find.
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
"Around 9pm [on the evening when Congress had to be notified for fast track], Baker burst into the negotiating room, flung down a piece of paper, and exclaimed, 'All right you can have your goddamn dispute settlement mechanism.'"
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Reagan & Mulroney could laugh and smile but their negotiators pulled their hair out and spent sleepless nights trying to reach an acceptable deal ...Treasury Sec. James Baker saved the entire deal with a last minute intervention to prevent Canada from walking away ... it's never easy
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
US-Canada trade negotiations - indeed, all trade negotiations - are always fraught and often lead to walk outs. Reagan and Mulroney were buddies but the 1987 negotiation over the US-Canada FTA almost failed at multiple stages. . .
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Fragmenting the North American auto market makes it a smaller and less attractive market....
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Dartmouth Arts and Sciences @dartmouthartsci.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Economics professor @douglasirwin.bsky.social joined the Port of Los Angeles' monthly media briefing as a leading expert to discuss tariffs, global commerce, and the broader forces shaping supply chain decisions.
marineinsight.com
Port of Los Angeles Records Busiest June In Its 118-Year History With 1.02 Million TEUs
Marine Insight - The maritime industry guide.
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
They always say their tariff worked
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Economic History Review @echistsocreview.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Now on Early View: 'Trade disruptions and early US industrialization'. By Joseph H. Davis & Douglas A. Irwin. @douglasirwin.bsky.social @nber.org #EHS100 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
<em>The Economic History Review</em> | EHS Journal | Wiley Online Library
Between 1807 and 1815, US imports of manufactured goods were slashed dramatically by a trade embargo, non-importation measures, and the War of 1812. These disruptions are commonly believed to have pr...
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Antidumping and circumvention duties sometimes get crowded out in today's tariff-rich news environment but they are still around and, well, leading to some interesting outcomes... www.nytimes.com/2026/07/14/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Paid $2 Million by South Korean Company Facing Trade Investigation
The payment illustrates the minefield Mr. Trump has created by maintaining personal financial ties with foreign businesses while he is in office.
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Hoover Institution @hooverinstitution.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Most-favored nation treatment was long the foundation of world trade. Now the US and Europe say it fails to address security or fairness, or to restrain China. @douglasirwin.bsky.social weighs whether to lament or welcome its passing.
thefreedomfrequency.org
Why "Most Favored Nation" Is Losing Favor
The US and Europe say the nondiscrimination ideal fails to address security and fairness—and to restrain China.
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
As @alanbeattie.bsky.social notes, the administration likes to invoke history on its side but there are problems.... Trump’s contradictions mangle a complex history of US trade - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT
giftarticle.ft.com
Trump’s contradictions mangle a complex history of US trade
The president’s obsession with tariffs reflects a misreading of the past 250 years
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Industrial Policy Is Adapting to Crises, but Remains Hard to Implement Effectively www.imf.org/en/blogs/art...
imf.org
Industrial Policy Is Adapting to Crises, but Remains Hard to Implement Effectively
As governments intervene more, evidence shows that the benefits are modest and depend on thoughtful design
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
www.piie.com/blogs/realti...
piie.com
America's been arguing over trade for more than 250 years
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of declaring its independence from Britain, Americans continue a tradition begun even longer ago: debating trade and tariffs. In recent years, disagree...
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Some IMF skepticism about industrial policy, contra World Bank? Industrial Policy Is Adapting to Crises, but Remains Hard to Implement Effectively www.imf.org/en/blogs/art...
imf.org
Industrial Policy Is Adapting to Crises, but Remains Hard to Implement Effectively
As governments intervene more, evidence shows that the benefits are modest and depend on thoughtful design
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Dartmouth Arts and Sciences @dartmouthartsci.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
"Don't expect anything big, and don't expect it to happen fast.” @dartmouthecon.bsky.social professor @douglasirwin.bsky.social discussed the long-term outlook for U.S. tariffs during a panel at the 13th Asian Monetary Policy Forum in Singapore.
businesstimes.com.sg
Central banks need ‘heightened vigilance’ over risks amid Middle East conflict: MAS chief economist
Risks are greater for small open economies, with energy prices affecting costs and wages more quickly, he says Read more at The Business Times.
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Very cool paper that uses Clashing over Commerce for exogenous tariff variation to identify the impact of tariff shocks on economic outcomes.... definitely worth a look!
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
As a long time fan of @economist.com going back to the last century, when James Callahan was PM (yes, that old!), it's a thrill to appear in print on their pages. Revised version of a web essay on the Supreme Court decision.
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Kelvin's dictum, etched on the University of Chicago Social Science building: "when you cannot measure, your knowledge is meager and unsatisfactory." To which Jacob Viner replied,"And when you can measure, your knowledge is meager and unsatisfactory."
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Center for the History of Political Economy @hopecenter.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
A super timely listen, @douglasirwin.bsky.social delivers a fantastic lecture, "Do Trump's Tariffs Make Sense?" as part of our #HayekLecture series. hope.econ.duke.edu/do-trumps-ta...
hope.econ.duke.edu
Do Trump's Tariffs Make Sense?
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Come on @alanbeattie.bsky.social , don't mince words, tell us what you really think...
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Simon Lester @simonlester.com · 13/01/2026
We need to make @douglasirwin.bsky.social's books required reading for schoolchildren and presidents.
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
My thoughts on the Supreme Court decision in The Economist: www.economist.com/by-invitatio...
economist.com
The Supreme Court tariffs ruling reins in Donald Trump
Even if he has ways to rebuild trade barriers, writes Douglas Irwin
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
Just a friendly reminder that the anti dumping process continues to churn out high tariffs beyond Trump's reciprocal tariffs ... www.wsj.com/world/europe...
wsj.com
Italian Pasta Is Poised to Disappear From American Grocery Shelves
The Trump administration is set to impose duties of 107% on Italian pasta imports, among most punitive of the tariffs it has levied.
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
This is a historic day for trade policy. Background here ⤵️
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Simon Lester @simonlester.com · 05/11/2025
In about an hour, you can listen to the Supreme Court oral arguments in the IEEPA tariff cases here: www.supremecourt.gov/oral_argumen... I doubt we'll hear anything new and interesting in the parties' arguments, but if the justices ask anything that seems worth noting, I'll try to note it here.
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Dartmouth Arts and Sciences @dartmouthartsci.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
"In countless speeches, radio addresses, and policy actions, Reagan assailed the costs of protection and hailed the virtues of free trade.” Economics professor @douglasirwin.bsky.social shows how President Trump is rebranding Reagan’s free trade legacy in an opinion piece in the @nytimes.com.
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Canadians Are Right About Reagan and Free Trade
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
www.wsj.com/opinion/trum...
wsj.com
Opinion | Trump’s Blanket Tariffs Are a Bridge Too Far
The case against his use of IEEPA is powerful. The justices shouldn’t defer to presidential power.
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
"Economic integration was once considered a threat to sovereignty. Today it has become its shield." www.economist.com/finance-and-...
economist.com
The new globalisation paradox
In the age of Donald Trump, national autonomy requires deeper integration. Brazil shows why
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Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
Excellent piece from @douglasirwin.bsky.social Reagan: "We should beware of the demagogues who are ready to declare a trade war against our friends — weakening our economy, our national security and the entire free world — all while cynically waving the American flag www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Canadians Are Right About Reagan and Free Trade
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/o... Want to understand Reagan's trade policies? You have to understand the three P's: principles, pragmatism, and politics....
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Canadians Are Right About Reagan and Free Trade
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
More on Reagan v Trump on tariffs www.wsj.com/opinion/reag...
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Simon Lester @simonlester.com · 25/10/2025
On 2, check out Clashing over Commerce by @douglasirwin.bsky.social at p 574, quoting administration adviser Bill Niskanen: The Reagan administration's strategy was "to build a five-foot trade wall in order to deter a ten-foot wall [that would have been] established by Congress."
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Yes, he was a free trader but did a strategic retreat in his first term under the pressure of the recession and Congress www.wsj.com/opinion/rona...
wsj.com
Opinion | Ronald Reagan Was No Protectionist
He agreed to cap Japanese auto imports in 1981 but hated the deal and did it only as a compromise.
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Anne Krueger political economy of the rent seeking society in action in Argentina
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
"Openness is a driver of growth." New Nobel laureate in economics Philippe Aghion is pro-trade and anti-tariff . . . go figure!
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
"The responsibility of economic historians is to remind the world what things were like before 1800. Growth was imperceptibly slow, and the vast bulk of the population was so poor that a harvest failure would kill millions." - Joel Mokyr www.wsj.com/articles/joe...
wsj.com
Joel Mokyr: What Today's Economic Gloomsayers Are Missing
In The Wall Street Journal, Joel Mokyr writes that science is enabling invention like never before and in ways that will improve life but isn't captured by GDP statistics.
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Another excellent episode . . . .where can I read more about Labour politics in the 1970s and 1980s, and Militant in particular? Any recommendations? Thank you!
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Andrew Greenland @andrewg-phd.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
📢CFP Tariffs and Trade Policy: Past, Present, & Future @ncsu: Dec 5, 6, 7 (am) Due: Sept 30 tinyurl.com/2stm2fk7 Papers: 8 + Discuss Keynote: @douglasirwin.bsky.social Panel: Chad Bown +TBD Sponsor: @NSF NEW TARIFF DATABASE 1789-2025 Funding: Flight+Hotel+Food (presenter/discussant)
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
The US Constitution forbids export taxes but I guess this payment isn't a "tax" but a payout....🤔 www.nytimes.com/2025/08/10/t...
nytimes.com
U.S. Government to Take Cut of Nvidia and AMD A.I. Chip Sales to China
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
On cue . .
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
Some great lines from @davidfrum.bsky.social "There is no socialist way to create wealth. There is only a socialist way to spend wealth." "While Trump’s behavior discredits markets, his rhetoric vilifies markets." & more . . . www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
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Douglas Irwin @douglasirwin.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Heartbreaking to the extent that US tariff policy contributed to this . . . www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
US tariffs: Lesotho declares state of disaster amid US tariff uncertainty
Lesotho faces tariffs of 50% - higher than any other country because of its large trade surplus with the US.
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American Historical Association @historians.org · 24/06/2025
Watch the AHA’s Congressional Briefing on the history of tariffs on C-SPAN. Panelists @douglasirwin.bsky.social, @sharonannmurphy.bsky.social, & @rauchway.bsky.social discussed how the government has implemented tariffs in the past & how they have impacted the economy. 🗃️
c-span.org
History of Tariffs
Professors Douglas Irwin (Dartmouth College), Sharon Ann Murphy (Providence College), and Eric Rauchway (University of California, Davis) discussed how the federal government historically has implemen...
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