Search

Begin New Search Topic Economics Author Gary Clyde Hufbauer

1. Global E-Commerce Talks Stumble on Data Issues, Privacy, and More

Author:
Gary Clyde Hufbauer and Zhiyaou (Lucy) Lu
Publication Date:
10-2019
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Peterson Institute for International Economics
Abstract:
In early 2019, several important members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) submitted noteworthy proposals in a realm of international commerce that has evolved faster than rules to govern it: e-commerce or digital trade. While countries agree on less controversial subjects like banning unsolicited commercial electronic messages, the three leading WTO members—China, the European Union, and the United States—have big differences in their approaches to more challenging issues: data flows, data localization, privacy invasions by data collectors, transfer of source code, imposition of customs duties and internet taxes, and internet censorship. Their differing viewpoints lead Hufbauer and Lu to conclude that the prospect of reaching a high-level WTO e-commerce agreement is not promising. To reach an agreement, either most of the contentious issues must be dropped or the number of participating countries must be sharply reduced. A WTO accord, even of low ambition, would have value if only to establish basic digital norms on matters such as banning unsolicited commercial messages and protecting online consumers from fraudulent practices. A more ambitious accord covering the controversial issues should be negotiated in bilateral and/or plurilateral/regional pacts rather than in the WTO.
Topic:
Economics, World Trade Organization, Finance, Privacy, and Data
Political Geography:
China, Europe, Asia, North America, United States of America, and European Union

2. The OECD's "Action Plan" to Raise Taxes on Multinational Corporations

Author:
Gary Clyde Hufbauer, Eujiin Jung, Tyler Moran, and Martin Vieiro
Publication Date:
09-2015
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Peterson Institute for International Economics
Abstract:
Hufbauer and colleagues critically evaluate the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s ambitious multipart project titled Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), which contains 15 "Actions" to prevent multinational corporations (MNCs) from escaping their "fair share" of the tax burden. Spurred by G-20 finance ministers, the OECD recommends changes in national legislation, revision of existing bilateral tax treaties, and a new multilateral agreement for participating countries. The proposition that MNCs need to pay more tax enjoys considerable political resonance as government budgets are strained, the world economy is struggling, income inequality is rising, and the news media have publicized instances of corporations legally lowering their global tax burdens by reporting income in low-tax jurisdictions and expenses in high-tax jurisdictions. Given that the US system taxes MNCs more heavily than other advanced countries and provides fewer tax incentives for research and development (R&D), implementation of the BEPS Actions would drive many MNCs to relocate their headquarters to tax-friendly countries and others to offshore significant amounts of R&D activity.
Topic:
Development, Economics, International Political Economy, and International Trade and Finance
Political Geography:
Global Focus

3. A Proposed Code to Discipline Local Content Requirements

Author:
Gary Clyde Hufbauer, Jeffrey J. Schott, and Cathleen Cimino
Publication Date:
02-2014
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Peterson Institute for International Economics
Abstract:
Proponents of liberalized trade and finance were relieved when the global economic crisis in 2008 produced a broad range of pledges from countries around the world to avoid new barriers to trade and investment (see Evenett 2013). These promises, designed to avert a replay of the Great Depression of the 1930s, were largely honored when it came to classic forms of protection (tariffs and quotas). But the spirit of that pledge was violated as countries shifted from traditional forms of protection to behind-the-border nontariff barriers (NTBs), including local content requirements (LCRs)—policies mandating that local suppliers of goods, services, and even entire projects be favored by governments and private firms, even when foreign firms offer lower costs, better quality, and faster delivery.
Topic:
Debt, Economics, International Trade and Finance, Markets, Financial Crisis, and Reform

4. US Policies toward Liquefied Natural Gas and Oil Exports: An Update

Author:
Gary Clyde Hufbauer and Cathleen Cimino
Publication Date:
07-2014
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Peterson Institute for International Economics
Abstract:
Unconventional extraction methods, namely horizontal drilling and fracking, are transforming global energy production, consumption, and trade. Th e extraction of large amounts of oil and gas from shale formations has led to an unprecedented surge of domestic production in the United States. Th e US Department of Energy (DOE) is now processing more than 40 applications from domestic producers to export liquefi ed natural gas (LNG). While experts still disagree about the magnitude and duration of the energy boom, we are at the "dawn of a US oil and gas renaissance" (Houser and Mohan 2014).
Topic:
Economics, International Trade and Finance, and Monetary Policy
Political Geography:
United States and North America

5. Right Idea, Wrong Direction: Obama's Corporate Tax Reform Proposals

Author:
Gary Clyde Hufbauer and Martin Vieiro
Publication Date:
05-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Peterson Institute for International Economics
Abstract:
The need for US corporate tax reform is blindingly obvious. Conservatives contend that the top corporate tax rate— whether measured in statutory or effective terms—is the second highest in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Liberals argue that the US corporate tax system is riddled with complex “loopholes,” enabling many firms—whether incorporated or not—to pay less than their fair share.
Topic:
Economics, International Trade and Finance, Monetary Policy, and Governance
Political Geography:
United States

6. Japan Post: Anti-Reform Law Clouds Japan's Entry to the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Author:
Gary Clyde Hufbauer and Julia Muir
Publication Date:
05-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Peterson Institute for International Economics
Abstract:
Our last policy brief on this long-running saga recounted political machinations, late in 2011, to reverse the Koizumi era reforms of Japan Post, a giant among state-owned enterprises (SOEs). As a brief background: Japan Post is a conglomerate of five companies: the parent, Japan Post Holdings; two subsidiaries concerned with operating post offices and delivering mail, namely Japan Post Network and Japan Post Services; and two giant financial arms, Japan Post Bank and Japan Post Insurance.
Topic:
Economics, International Trade and Finance, Treaties and Agreements, and Law
Political Geography:
Japan and Israel

7. Will the World Trade Organization Enjoy a Bright Future?

Author:
Gary Clyde Hufbauer and Jeffrey J. Schott
Publication Date:
05-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Peterson Institute for International Economics
Abstract:
Our answer is a resounding “yes.” This answer does not rest simply on the World Trade Organization's proven competence as a judicial body nor its acknowledged expertise in gathering statistics and analyzing trends. Crowning these strengths, we see the dawn of a new era of trade and investment negotiations within the halls of the WTO.
Topic:
Economics, International Trade and Finance, Treaties and Agreements, and World Trade Organization

8. Framework for the International Services Agreement

Author:
Gary Clyde Hufbauer and J. Bradford Jensen
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Peterson Institute for International Economics
Abstract:
Services trade continues to be the most dynamic part of world trade, and service sectors have long been the largest destination of foreign direct investment (FDI) flows. Higher GDP growth goes hand-in-hand with service sector growth. Yet, despite these positive attributes, little progress has been achieved in multilateral talks to liberalize services trade and investment. There is something very wrong about this picture—the disjuncture between stalled service negotiations in Geneva, the excessive focus on other components of the Doha Round to the neglect of services, and the rapid expansion of services trade and investment across borders. The time has come for an International Services Agreement (ISA) in which self-selected World Trade Organization (WTO) members voluntarily agree to new rules and market access commitments. The ISA would be distinct from a multilateral undertaking, like the Doha Round, that must gain the consent of all WTO members. Instead, it would be akin to the Agreement on Government Procurement, in which the market access benefits are confined to the agreement's members, but the agreement itself is open to all WTO members that are willing to accept its disciplines and commitments.
Topic:
Economics, Emerging Markets, International Trade and Finance, Markets, and World Trade Organization

9. US Tire Tariffs: Saving Few Jobs at High Cost

Author:
Gary Clyde Hufbauer and Sean Lowry
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Peterson Institute for International Economics
Abstract:
In his 2012 State of the Union address, President Obama claimed that "over a thousand Americans are working today because we stopped a surge in Chinese tires." The tire tariff case, decided by the president in September 2009, exemplifies his efforts to get China to "play by the rules" and serves as a plank in his larger platform of insourcing jobs to America.
Topic:
Economics, Industrial Policy, International Trade and Finance, and Governance
Political Geography:
United States, China, and America

10. Another Shot at Protection by Stealth: Using the Tax Law to Penalize Foreign Insurance Companies

Author:
Gary Clyde Hufbauer
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Peterson Institute for International Economics
Abstract:
The United States suffers from a severe self-inflicted wound. Together, federal and state governments impose almost the highest corporate tax rate found among advanced countries, 39 percent. Only Japan is fractionally higher. The high US rate has adverse consequences—lost investment, lost jobs, and less innovation—and goes a long way to explain slipping US competitiveness in the world economy.
Topic:
Economics, Industrial Policy, International Trade and Finance, and Markets
Political Geography:
United States and Japan