February 13—A recent study from MIT and the Brookings Institution finds that the nation's poorest counties, generally Republican strongholds, have benefited disproportionately from President Biden's efforts to boost U.S. manufacturing. The study credits measures associated with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act with the ongoing surge in manufacturing capacity, though voters in red districts benefiting from the Biden programs remain loyal to Donal Trump.

August 11, 2017—To those who celebrate increasingly human-like machines, columnist Alissa Quart, writing in The Guardian, say "slow down." Noting the loss of "human infrastructure," Quart questions the value of a future without the need for human effort and suggests needed measures to protect human workers.

In this Guardian opinion piece, Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff writes that when it comes to trade protectionism, "the main beneficiaries are the rich and politically connected, whle the losers are consumers who pay higher prices."

This Forbes article, with accompanying video, challenges the notion that the U.S. has been hurt by global trade. Since its peak in 1979, the article states, U.S. manufacturing has lost 7 million jobs. Meanwhile, however, the economy has added 53 million jobs in the service sector, the majority of which pay better than jobs in manufacturing. If this data is correct, perhaps a better focus of our energies would be in raising the wages of those service jobs—in retail, the hospitality industry, and other low-skill sectors—which do not allow a comfortable standard of living, and in making sure there is a decent-paying job available for every citizen who wants one.

U Cal Berkely economist Brad DeLong takes issue with the 2016 presidential campaign’s consensus on the undesirability of the TPP and other trade deals. In this thorough-going analysis, DeLong argues that trade deals have had virtually no negative impact on U.S. manufacturing, and have greatly helped the overall economy.

This Washington Post piece examines the program that grants visas to foreign workers with skills lacking in the U.S.

Trump promised in his campaign to take down America’s trade competitors; his meek actions so far, according to columnist Binyamin Appelbaum, amount to “talking loudly and brandishing a small stick.”

The travails of a Kentucky aluminum parts manufacturer illustrate the perils of competing in a globalized economy.

New York Times correspondent Peter Goodman takes issue with Trump’s obsession with the U.S. trade deficit.

Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers argues that robotization will benefit sociey, but only if workers are protected.

The Accidental President claims he will get a better deal for America through foregoing multilateral for bilateral trade deals. According to McGill University political scientist Krzysztof Pelc, history tells us otherwise.

It is not only global trade that threatens U.S. jobs. Sears has not made a profit since 2011 and has shed a large number of stores. What fate for its decommissioned employees, and those of other brick and mortar chains?

National Academy of Sciences researchers take issue with Accidental Treasury Secretary Mnuchin’s complacency about the impact of technology on employment. (March, 27)

Though much low-skill manufacturing has moved offshore, the U.S. is the leading manufacturer in the world by value of goods produced.

The U.S. is manufacturing more goods than ever: but with fewer jobs.