Trade policy is emerging as one of the most powerful yet underappreciated drivers of economic competitiveness across the Middle East and Central Asia (ME&CA). A new International Monetary Fund (IMF) Working Paper finds that while many countries have pursued structural reforms over the past two decades, high tariff protection, weak competition policies and governance shortcomings…
Browsing: tariffs
One Canadian leader said American lawmakers should send help, rather than complain.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose new tariffs on Canada after hundreds of wildfires have left much of the northern US covered by a blanket of smoke.
“Eppur si muove!” Galileo Galilei is said to have remarked: and yet it moves. First came Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which sent the price of gas, oil and electricity soaring just as the world was beginning to lift its head after the pandemic. Few believed a global recession could be avoided, yet it…
Monica de Bolle(PIIE) DateJuly 17, 2026 1:30 PM Photo Credit: Sipa USA/Aaron Schwartz Body
The signing of the EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in January 2026 represents a significant milestone in bilateral economic relations, for both sides. However, it fails to address a more critical challenge: India’s persistent struggle to attract manufacturing foreign direct investment (FDI). This paper argues that India requires more manufacturing FDI not only for financial…