Tariffs - Publications - Faculty & Research

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Working Knowledge | Harvard Business School

collections Economics and Global Commerce Charting Tariff Pain: Small Businesses Brace for Job Cuts, Falling Sales A study by Zoe Cullen and Ebehi Iyoha reveals the challenges that small- and medium-sized businesses expect View Details

11 Dec 2018
Research & Ideas

Free Trade Needs Nurturing—and Other Lessons from History

themselves. The protectionist Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 led to retaliation all over the world, and trade fell into a downward spiral that exacerbated the crisis. "One thing we keep relearning is that gains from trade do not... View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Auto; Aerospace; Chemical; Consumer Products; Electronics; Energy; Industrial Products; Manufacturing; Shipping; Transportation

01 Dec 2018
News

Trade Off

protectionist Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 led to retaliation all over the world, and trade fell into a downward spiral that exacerbated the crisis. After World War II, the world looked for a solution to the lack of multilateral... View Details

01 Mar 2024
News

Research Brief: The Real Cost of Countering China

Illustration by Patric Sandri Over the last five years, global supply chains have come under unprecedented stress from the pandemic, natural disasters, geopolitical events, and general anti-globalization sentiments. Nowhere is this more evident than in the trade... View Details

Keywords: Jennifer Myers; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Manufacturing

Mar 2012
Article

Shattering the Myths About U.S. Trade Policy

A free and fair global trading system can result in economic win-wins. Open borders allow companies to grow in foreign markets and, simultaneously, ensure that businesses remain competitive at home. That’s why U.S. policy makers have traditionally urged developing... View Details

23 Jul 2024
In Practice

The New Rules of Trade with China: Navigating Tariffs, Turmoil, and Opportunities

When former President Donald Trump slapped sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports in 2019, the economic dynamics between the world’s two biggest economies forever shifted. American businesses hoping President Joe Biden would return to... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Manufacturing; Retail; Fashion; Industrial Products; Consumer Products; Steel; Transportation; Telecommunications

01 Mar 2006
News

Presidential Adviser

decide how to spend it,” explained Hubbard. To boost U.S. exports, the administration favors more trade agreements to lower tariffs on American-made products. Hubbard isn’t worried that a decline in the rapid appreciation of home values... View Details

Keywords: Administration of Economic Programs; Government; Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support; Government

21 Sep 2015
News

Helping Japan Build a Strong Economic Future

Partnership (TPP) with the United States, Singapore, Australia, Chile, and seven other countries. “Strong political sensitivities over comprehensive tariff elimination—a TPP negotiating principle—made Japan’s participation extremely... View Details

01 Jun 2002
News

Steel Tax

When President George W. Bush (MBA '75) imposed a tariff of up to 30 percent on most types of steel imported into the United States, the Boston Globe (March 10, 2002) turned to HBS professor Debora Spar to explain the implications. Noting... View Details

01 Mar 2019
News

Napkin Finance: Say It in a Picture

The humble cocktail napkin is a tried-and-true medium for honing a concept to its essential elements. For Tina Hay (MBA 2002) it’s also a business. As founder and CEO of Napkin Finance, Hay oversees a multimedia effort to simplify financial concepts ranging from View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

01 Nov 2011
First Look

First Look: Nov. 1

growing concern that such regulation may simply shift production to unregulated regions, potentially increasing overall carbon emissions in the process. Carbon tariffs have emerged as a possible mechanism to address this concern by... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

30 May 2018
What Do You Think?

Should Intellectual Property be Protected in International Trade?

raises the questions: How hard should US trade negotiators seek to encourage such a change in Chinese policy? Does IP ownership belong in international trade deals? What do you think? Original Column Unusual attention currently is focused on trade policy, triggered by... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Technology

05 Jun 2012
First Look

First Look: June 5

than they had expected with higher-than-anticipated costs, a monopolistic distribution network, strong competitors, a weak partner ecosystem, and a market that was unresponsive to tariff cuts. In early 2012, a year and a half later, the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Dec 1999
News

Christensen and Vernon Remembered

Tariffs and Trade, among numerous other achievements in a career notable for its global impact. "Ray Vernon was one of the most influential scholars of his generation, a true pioneer in the study of multinational corporations and the... View Details

01 Aug 2018
What Do You Think?

Are Free Trade and Free Markets Quaint Ideas From the Past?

for years, extending back to Adam Smith’s “invisible hand.” While many members of the management community generally accept the notion of free markets and trade, those unable to compete with imports are sometimes quite willing to request protection, often in the form... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

29 Jun 2010
First Look

First Look: June 29

The price of output is a crucial determinant of this choice, since it affects the size of the pecuniary benefits: higher prices lead to more integration. Because tariffs increase domestic product prices, this effect provides a novel... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 Jun 2012
News

Bringing ‘Global’ Back Home

balance between nations on trade and tariff issues, as well as a more globally competitive US corporate tax rate. Professors Michael Porter and Jan Rivkin, cochairs of the US Competitiveness Project at HBS, define competitiveness as “the... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; Transportation Equipment Manufacturing; Manufacturing

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Managing International Trade and Investment - Course Catalog

07 Apr 2003
What Do You Think?

Should Global Business Initiatives Be Devalued?

what some perceive to be a narrowing between the rewards and risks of such ventures? Whether because of reduced market expectations or increased transactional costs resulting from deteriorating international relations, tighter regulation and security restrictions, the... View Details