Dani Rodrik — The Trade Numbers Game

The title should be "the trade numbers shell game."

The bottom line is that neither side’s models generate numbers reliable enough on which a case for or against the TPP can be made. Just about the only thing we can say with some certainty is that there will be winners and losers. Perhaps the agreement will galvanize investment and knowledge flows across the Pacific, giving the world economy a much-needed boost. Perhaps not. But those who believe that this trade agreement, like previous ones, will provide lopsided benefits have ample reason to be concerned.

Project Syndicate
The Trade Numbers Game
Dani Rodrik | Professor of International Political Economy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government