The State of Trade

From silk to silicon, from coffee to carbon, the story of trade is the story of civilization. At a time of rising protectionism, we look at what trade means to today's global economy.

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International Trade and Investment

International trade is slowing. What does this mean for globalization?

Historically, world trade has grown faster than world GDP. Now it's only growing at a rate equal to or below it.

Jaime Malet 17 Nov 2017

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China

How China’s first ‘silk road’ slowly came to life - on the water

The story of the Silk Road, whether ancient or modern, is as much a story of how maritime trade began.

David Abulafia · The Conversation 05 Oct 2017

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International Trade and Investment

This is why you need to know about trade finance

If you ever decide to create your own enterprise and distribute your product abroad, then this is for you.

Francesca Bianchi 06 Oct 2017

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Environment and Natural Resource Security

How does carbon trading work?

How did we end up turning carbon into a commodity? The world trades everything from sugar cane to luxury cars, as well as intangible goods like intellectual property and patents.

Teresa Hartmann 28 Sep 2017

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International Trade and Investment

Five facts on what trade and technology really mean for jobs

Empirical evidence suggests that trade can explain up to 20-25% of the recent decline in US manufacturing jobs. The remaining 75-80% is explained by other factors, such as technological c...

Marc Bacchetta, Robert Koopman, and Jose-Antonio Monteiro 28 Sep 2017