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It’s a fascinating time to be an international trade specialist. Just ask Vanya Georgieva, a PhD candidate with the Department of Economics who has spent the last five years developing expertise in tariffs, subsidies and other tools of trade policy governments have at the ready.  Her Job Market Paper, Trade and Industrial Policy with Global Production Networks, studies how tariffs and subsidies propagate through global production networks.

“Sometimes it feels a bit too close! I’ll read an article and immediately spot all the economic dynamics at play,” Georgieva admitted. “But beyond professional curiosity, it’s an important moment for trade economists to help unpack the deeper consequences of what’s happening.”

With daily headlines cataloguing each move in the tariff wars, it’s become normal for friends, family and undergraduate students to bring questions about whether their governments should or should not retaliate to Georgieva. It’s a role she has prepared for and feels a responsibility to fulfill.

“Understanding is fundamental,” she said. “Underneath the technical and political language, the key concepts can be explained in a way that’s totally everyday. I think one of the most important things we can do as researchers is to share what we’ve learned. Academia gives us access to incredible knowledge and tools, but that value multiplies when it’s shared, whether through collaboration, public engagement, or working with policy institutions.” [Read more…]