In The News

EU Insists on Discussion of Environment Rules

Michael Mann October 7, 2001
The EU farm commissioner, Franz Fischler, wants environmental rules included in the trade talks of the WTO. Fishcler believes that including these rules is a fair trade for the EU’s acceptance of reduced farm subsidies which the WTO hopes to enact. The lower farm subsidies will help developing nations compete in the global market place with the agricultural goods produced by developed nations....

An Idea that Gained Currency but Lost Clarity

James Tobin September 11, 2001
James Tobin, the economist from whom the ‘Tobin tax’ takes its name, explains his reasons for a tax on currency speculation and what problems he originally intended the tax to solve. The tax he proposed was meant to be levied on all currency transactions. The cost of paying the tax would reduce de-stabilizing speculation and also give national central banks enough space to control their short-...