Devashish Mitra
@devashishmitra.bsky.social
Prof of Econ & Cramer Prof of Global Affairs, Maxwell School, Syracuse University. Research: international trade, pol economy, development. Commentator: trade policy issues, Indian economy. All views personal. Website: https://dmitra.expressions.syr.edu
New paper I’ve coauthored with Bandyopadhyay, Basu and Chau, which looks at challenges created by task offshoring to enforcement of trade agreements and dispute settlement rules, and the role of well-enforced labor standards in such circumstances.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
On terms of trade, offshoring ties, and the enforcement of trade agreements
This paper unpacks the role of offshoring in the enforcement of trade agreements. In a two-country model of task offshoring, we show that by depressin…
www.sciencedirect.com
September 19, 2025 at 11:15 PM
New paper I’ve coauthored with Bandyopadhyay, Basu and Chau, which looks at challenges created by task offshoring to enforcement of trade agreements and dispute settlement rules, and the role of well-enforced labor standards in such circumstances.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
My piece on Trump tariffs in the TIME magazine. time.com/7305626/chao...
The Chaotic, Fantastical World of Donald Trump’s Tariffs
Trump's tariffs threaten to weaken the stability of the global trading system, explains economist Devashish Mitra.
time.com
July 28, 2025 at 6:32 PM
My piece on Trump tariffs in the TIME magazine. time.com/7305626/chao...
Excellent arguments have been made very rigorously. cepr.org/voxeu/column...
Why the US and the WTO should part ways
The US embrace of power politics in the trade arena violates both the letter and spirit of the WTO’s General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, undermining the integrity of the multilateral trading system. This column suggests that such violations are unlikely to cease in the foreseeable future. Bipartisan consensus in the US favours a toothless WTO, a position at odds with most WTO members. If the US continues to disregard its obligations, the best option for preserving the credibility of the WTO would see the US withdraw from the Agreement.
cepr.org
June 25, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Excellent arguments have been made very rigorously. cepr.org/voxeu/column...
Reposted by Devashish Mitra
Three things made the US a rich and powerful nation: the rule of law, its science & innovation system, and openness to foreign talent. Remarkable how Trump has taken a sledgehammer to all three. No enemy of this country could do more.
May 22, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Three things made the US a rich and powerful nation: the rule of law, its science & innovation system, and openness to foreign talent. Remarkable how Trump has taken a sledgehammer to all three. No enemy of this country could do more.
Reposted by Devashish Mitra
More than 80 Harvard faculty members have signed on to a pledge to donate 10% of their paycheck to support staff and students, as long as the University resists Trump's unlawful demands. I am so proud of my colleagues. docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Senior Faculty Pledging to Donate a Portion of Salary in Defense of University Community
Senior Faculty Pledging to Donate a Portion of Salary in Defense of University Community We are heartened by the University’s rejection of the Trump administration’s unlawful demands. We also recogn...
docs.google.com
April 30, 2025 at 6:42 PM
More than 80 Harvard faculty members have signed on to a pledge to donate 10% of their paycheck to support staff and students, as long as the University resists Trump's unlawful demands. I am so proud of my colleagues. docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Reposted by Devashish Mitra
This is so true and equally valid of Trump’s other fellow travelers: “free speech purists” who hate progressives more than they love free speech; “economic nationalists” who hate foreigners more than they love their own; and the tech billionaires who hate regulation more than they love science.
This thread reminds me of something the Cato Institute's executive vice president David Boaz once said to me, as he watched, with great sadness, so many in his libertarian movement get on board with Trump: "It turns out they hate the left more than they love liberty."
There's much overlap between the American "anti-leftist" tradition and the American conservative tradition. I'd argue that the "anti-leftist" tradition (with roots in the more McCarthyite/fascistic threads of the anti-communist tradition) attracted "conservatives" with a more authoritarian bent.
May 7, 2025 at 5:45 PM
This is so true and equally valid of Trump’s other fellow travelers: “free speech purists” who hate progressives more than they love free speech; “economic nationalists” who hate foreigners more than they love their own; and the tech billionaires who hate regulation more than they love science.
If you believe in government efficiency, the first thing to do is to eliminate tariffs, not keep escalating them. And, Elon keeps invoking Milton Friedman. Friedman hated tariffs. Tariffs lead to consumption efficiency losses and production efficiency losses.
March 14, 2025 at 4:26 PM
If you believe in government efficiency, the first thing to do is to eliminate tariffs, not keep escalating them. And, Elon keeps invoking Milton Friedman. Friedman hated tariffs. Tariffs lead to consumption efficiency losses and production efficiency losses.
Elon Musk: “It will be fine long term.”
John Maynard Keynes: “In the long run we are all dead.”
John Maynard Keynes: “In the long run we are all dead.”
March 11, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Elon Musk: “It will be fine long term.”
John Maynard Keynes: “In the long run we are all dead.”
John Maynard Keynes: “In the long run we are all dead.”
Most divisive Thanksgiving message from a president I have ever read. Clearly doesn’t intend to be president for everyone - only for half the country, who is clearly less powerful than president for the whole country. Obvious not trying to unite us. Very sad!!!
November 28, 2024 at 4:24 PM
Most divisive Thanksgiving message from a president I have ever read. Clearly doesn’t intend to be president for everyone - only for half the country, who is clearly less powerful than president for the whole country. Obvious not trying to unite us. Very sad!!!
Yes, I’m lucky to be a resident of New York state. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | New York is my country now
Searching for a safer country during the second Trump presidency? Look inward before fleeing.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 20, 2024 at 11:56 AM
Yes, I’m lucky to be a resident of New York state. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Reposted by Devashish Mitra
Dear Elon, when two black holes seeking attention (gravity) get too close, the more massive one absorbs the smaller! Between you and Donald J. Trump, what's your bet? My bet is on the latter. He has already destroyed anything that got too close. Just ask anyone who got too close.
November 18, 2024 at 2:36 AM
Dear Elon, when two black holes seeking attention (gravity) get too close, the more massive one absorbs the smaller! Between you and Donald J. Trump, what's your bet? My bet is on the latter. He has already destroyed anything that got too close. Just ask anyone who got too close.
I have been using this book (all editions so far) for my high-enrollment Economics of Globalization class for many years (roughly 2 decades). Now I co-teach this class with my colleague, Ryan Monarch.
If Harris had been elected I would have done an update, but now I have to wait two years to see what happens 😮
2) Free Trade Under Fire - @douglasirwin.bsky.social
A fantastic rundown of free trade, its benefits and why it remains so controversial, written by a leading academic in the field. Helpfully, it keeps getting updated, the most recent is 2020.
A fantastic rundown of free trade, its benefits and why it remains so controversial, written by a leading academic in the field. Helpfully, it keeps getting updated, the most recent is 2020.
November 17, 2024 at 4:14 PM
I have been using this book (all editions so far) for my high-enrollment Economics of Globalization class for many years (roughly 2 decades). Now I co-teach this class with my colleague, Ryan Monarch.
Just joined Bluesky. You can follow me here at @devashishmitra.bsky.social
November 17, 2024 at 4:06 PM
Just joined Bluesky. You can follow me here at @devashishmitra.bsky.social