Research and Opinions

Grounded in the strong University of California research tradition, our projects encompass a range of topics that reflect our mission and research objectives at the Center for Commerce and Diplomacy.

Climate and Trade Task Force

Governments across the globe are debating how to leverage trade policy to meet climate and environmental objectives. But the interplay between trade and climate policies is complex and contested, thus the need for timely, research-based policy recommendations that can address environmental concerns while sustaining global prosperity. The Climate and Trade Task Force is a nonpartisan group of academics, policy experts, and private-sector leaders organized by the Center for Commerce and Diplomacy to provide direction to policymakers on the relationship between climate and trade policies.

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Opinions

CCD Affiliated Faculty

A "border carbon adjustment" without a carbon tax?
James E. Rauch
Should the U.S. impose a border carbon adjustment even though no formal carbon tax is in place? CCD affiliate Jim Rauch says yes, if new Biden Administration environmental regulations raise the implicit U.S. price of carbon significantly.

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Research Summarized

CCD Leadership

Designing an International Economic Order: A Research Agenda
CCD Director Renee Bowen and CCD Associate Director J. Lawrence Broz identify the current threats facing international organizations, discuss solutions to address these threats, and highlight methods of leadership for building a broad base of support in these institutions. 

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CCD Affiliated Faculty

How to make redistribution better: Could universal basic incomes help?
CCD Affiliate Paul Niehaus and co-authors address the question "How to make redistribution better: Could universal basic incomes help?"

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CCD Postdoc Fellow

Legalization of International Institutions and Its Discontents: Does WTO disadvantage big powers?
CCD Postdoc Fellow Yoo Sun Jung examines the transition of the dispute settlement mechanism (DSM) from the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

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Research Projects Underway

The World Trade Organization and the 2016 U.S. presidential election
Renee Bowen and Lawrence Broz are collaborating with UC San Diego trade economist Marc Muendler to explore the impact of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Their motivation is to understand why the previous U.S. administration took actions that rendered the WTO’s Appellate Body inoperable. Their results suggest that WTO Appellate Body rulings that require the United States to remove some of its trade barriers cause voters in the affected communities to support the presidential candidate that is openly critical of the WTO. They find that Donald Trump received more support in counties with higher shares of employment in industries that were adversely affected by WTO Appellate Body rulings, other factors considered. This research is important because it connects the actions of an international organization to domestic election outcomes for the very first time.