The Office of the United States Trade Representative recently stepped back from ongoing negotiations on digital trade at the World Trade Organization, citing unsettled domestic policy, and suspended support for digital trade rules in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework too. But if the U.S. wants to be a part of the conversation, it should reengage and help craft rules flexible enough to meet its future domestic policy needs, writes nonresident fellow Simon Lester.
Despite recent claims that “free trade is dead,” fellow Simon Lester explains that America was never close to anything resembling free trade in the first place. Instead, current U.S. trade policy, just like past policy, reflects a messy mix of free market and industrial policy views.
With the recent enactment of the CHIPS and Science Act, the conversation about industrial policy has started up again. Are state-directed economic policies back, and will such initiatives work?
Some states still face challenges with racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 vaccine distribution, and Texas is one of them. How might we avoid these inequities in the future? The authors explain in the Baker Institute Blog.
Elena M. Marks, Varsha Varghese, Jennifer MeierMay 5, 2021
The authors argue that the health care system needs to be better integrated with the social services sector, so that when people encounter either realm, they’ll get more of their needs addressed — including the social determinants of health. Health Affairs Blog: https://bit.ly/3wx1Pbh
Understanding how to interpret the signs of a child's distress as they adjust to a new way of life during Covid-19 — and how to respond appropriately — is important for a child's mental health and development.
Patrick S. Tennant, Marcy Melvin, Quianta MooreApril 27, 2020