Alfredo Carrillo Obregon

Nov 15, 2023 | cato.org | Alfredo Carrillo Obregon

For nearly seventy‐​five years, the United States was the leading proponent of rules‐​based international trade and investment. While it once leveraged its dominant position in the global economy to create durable institutions and agreements like the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and its successor the World Trade Organization, the US is now a laggard.

Oct 10, 2023 | cato.org | Clark Packard |Daniel Drezner |James A. Dorn |Alfredo Carrillo Obregon

Despite some undeniable economic successes, policymakers in Beijing, particularly under the leadership of Xi Jinping, have moved in an illiberal direction. As a result, China faces several short‐​term concerns that will likely weigh on growth in the coming years. The tech sector, once a dynamic and thriving industry, has been paralyzed by Xi’s re‐​embrace of Maoist socialism.

Oct 10, 2023 | cato.org | James A. Dorn |Daniel Drezner |Clark Packard |Alfredo Carrillo Obregon

This essay examines China’s transition from plan to market, with emphasis on the pre‐​Xi era, especially the early reforms. It also carefully examines the spread of marketization in China using the marketization index developed by Fan Gang and others. Finally, it shows that, in addition to internal reforms that widened the use of markets, China’s rapid development was driven by its opening to the outside world.

Sep 12, 2023 | cato.org | Daniel Drezner |Clark Packard |James A. Dorn |Alfredo Carrillo Obregon

Western scholars and policymakers used to think of economic interdependence as an unalloyed good; in recent years, however, it has been viewed as something that could be weaponized. Economic interdependence is hardly a cure-all for U.S. national security concerns, but it also is not the acute national security threat that is commonly articulated inside the Beltway.

Jun 5, 2023 | cato.org | Gabriella Beaumont-Smith |Alfredo Carrillo Obregon

On May 31, 2023, legislation was introduced to lower U.S. barriers to imports of infant formula and infant formula base powder. As we and our colleague Scott Lincicome have explained (repeatedly), eliminating tariffs is one of several smart policy reforms that would not only help American babies and parents, but also ensure a more stable U.S. market in the future.