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Trade, Globalization, and Development Policy Economics

Mercatus Center research seeks to understand the consequences – both intended and unintended – of U.S. policy in other countries and improve the state of knowledge to which these policies refer, thereby fostering solutions that promote a freer, more prosperous, and civil society.  Through in-depth case analyses and field study Mercatus scholars work to develop advanced approaches rooted in a knowledge of the market process. Research focus includes: international economic development and the impact of foreign aid on global prosperity, entrepreneurship and the conditions that enable or inhibit a dynamic economic marketplace, the effects of trade and globalization, the political economy of reform and development, and specific area studies. 

Recent Publications

"Why Have Kiwis Not Become Tigers? Reforms, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development in New Zealand" 

Books
Frederic Sautet
November 8, 2007

Frederic Sautet's chapter "Why Have Kiwis Not Become Tigers? Reforms, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development in New Zealand" appears in the book Making Poor Nations Rich: Entrepreneurship and the Process of Economic Development, edited by Benjamin Powell and with a forward by Deepak Lal.

"Entrepreneurship or Entremanureship? Digging Through Romania's Institutional Environment for Transitional Lessons" 

Books
Peter Boettke, Christopher Coyne, Peter Leeson
November 8, 2007

Peter Boettke, Christopher Coyner, and Peter Leeson's chapter "Entrepreneurship or Entremanureship? Digging Through Romania's Institutional Environment for Transitional Lessons" appears in the book Making Poor Nations Rich: Entrepreneurship and the Process of Economic Development, edited by Benjamin Powell and with a forward by Deepak Lal.

Mercatus On Policy - Perking up the Economy 

Mercatus On Policy
Karol Boudreaux, Daniel Sacks
November 1, 2007

Since the post-genocide deregulation of the coffee industry, entrepreneurship is now flourishing, international trade volume is increasing, human capital is developing, income and employment are increasing, and most surprisingly, grass-roots reconciliation is taking place.

Mercatus On Policy - The Business of Reconciliation 

Mercatus On Policy
Karol Boudreaux, Daniel Sacks
November 1, 2007

In the years since the Rwandan genocide in the mid-1990s, Rwandans and the rest of the world have wondered how the nation would recover—both socially and economically—from the devastation and what lessons, if any, can be learned from reconciliation.

State Power, Entrepreneurship, and Coffee: The Rwandan Experience 

Mercatus Policy Series
Karol Boudreaux
October 31, 2007

In the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the new government lifted tight controls on the coffee market.  As a result of increasing income and new opportunities for entrepreneurship, Rwandans are better able to care for themselves and their families. 

To Know Contractors, Know Government  

News Articles and Op-Eds
Tyler Cowen
October 28, 2007

Tyler Cowen discusses the military's use of private contractors in this New York Times piece. He writes, "The overall problem is not private contracting in itself; contractors do not set the tone but rather reflect the sins and virtues of their customers, namely their sponsoring governments."

The Political, Economic, and Social Aspects of Katrina 

Working Papers
Peter Boettke, Emily Chamlee-Wright, Peter Gordon, Sanford Ikeda, Peter Leeson, Russell Sobel
September 11, 2007

This paper examines the resiliency of community recovery following natural disaster.  We argue that a resilient recovery requires robust economic/financial institutions, political/legal institutions, and social/cultural institutions.  We find that where post-disaster resiliency has been observed, private-sector responses contributing to the health of these institutional arenas are largely responsible.  Where post-disaster fragility and slowness has been observed, public-sector responses contributing to the frailty of these institutional arenas are largely the cause.

The Housing Voucher Choice Program 

Mercatus Policy Series, Policy Comments
Emily Schaeffer
August 29, 2007

This paper addresses the provision of public housing in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. After addressing the situation prior to Hurricane Katrina, it evaluates the policy options available to public housing authorities. This paper finds the Housing Voucher Choice Program is the mechanism most capable of serving the short-term goal of relief assistance and long-term goal of creating a housing program that best serves the needs of the community.

Community Resilience in New Orleans East: Deploying the Cultural Toolkit within a Vietnamese-American Community 

Working Papers
Emily Chamlee-Wright, Virgil Storr
August 27, 2007

Following the devastation of the 2005 hurricane season, it was unclear whether many of the affected communities would rebound. But within weeks of the storm, the neighborhood surrounding the Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church was showing clear signs of recovery, setting a pace that would continue until almost all the residents and businesses had returned by the summer of 2007. This paper addresses the question of how this post-disaster success was won.

Competition and Corruption 

Working Papers
Werner Troesken
August 17, 2007

In this working paper, Dr. Troesken argues that political corruption and market competitiveness are inversely related. Highly competitive markets drive out corruption, while markets with high natural barriers to entry (e.g., those characterized by declining marginal costs and high fixed costs) allow corruption to flourish. Competition drives out corruption because corruption is costly and highcost enterprises are at a competitive disadvantage.

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