Maxwell School News and Commentary

"We’ve never seen anything like this," Mary Lovely told the Associated Press. Lovely recently spoke with multiple news outlets about the trade war between the U.S. and China.  

"Unless there’s congressional intervention, it’s hard to see where this goes," says Mary Lovely, professor emeritus of economics at the Maxwell School, about President Trump's combative trade stance.

"This divide-and-conquer strategy is not entirely unexpected, especially now that the three-way negotiating process seems to have hit a wall," says Mary Lovely, professor of economics, on President Trump's NAFTA talks.

Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science, says those who pay attention to politics tend to be more partisan and often set aside information they find inconsistent with their beliefs. "To the extent that you like this administration," she says, "you might say this is just the way business is done. This isn’t a concern."

"They failed to drill down on the biggest frictions facing U.S. businesses and on those where we are most able to move the Chinese," Mary Lovely, professor of economics, says of the vague statement the U.S. and China released regarding the trade conflict.

Mary Lovely, professor of economics, says it’s impossible to protect American consumers and put maximum pressure on China at the same time.

"The sanctions are a very big deal," says Mary Lovely, professor of economics and senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. "The Chinese see them as a major threat and do not want a costly trade war."

"This is more about boosting reconnaissance and cyber security than fighting in orbit," says Sean O'Keefe, University Professor and Phanstiel Chair in Leadership. "You can emphasize more help for the military in space without going to the massive organizational change and expense."

The map of Trump’s victory looked eerily similar to her documentation of deaths of despair, according to Shannon Monnat, associate professor of sociology and Lerner Chair of Public Health Promotion, from New England through the Rust Belt to the rural coast of Washington.