Attention Trade Wonks: Twelve Podcasts You Should Check Out

Here at TradeMoves, we are all big fans of podcasts, especially those that cover cross-border trade topics. These podcasts explain the economy in a fun way, and include personal stories, discussions, and new innovations in global trade. We’ve gone through and picked out our favorites, ranging from the inner-workings of NAFTA negotiations to how an existential argument of what is considered “human” resulted in a different tariff classification. 

Planet Money (National Public Radio)

1. Episode 751: The Thing About That Border Tax, February 1, 2017: Trade economists have talked about the border adjustment tax for decades, but it is only now getting its moment in the spotlight.
2. Episode 632 – The Chicken Tax, January 15, 2017: This episode speaks to how a trade dispute over frozen chicken parts changed the American auto industry as we know it.
3. Episode 725 – Trade Show, September 23, 2016: Take a look inside the history of free trade in the United States and how we have the trade regime we have today.  Also, did you know that Adam Smith, the original proponent of free trade, was kidnapped by gypsies?
4. Episode 566 - The Zoo Economy, September 9, 2016: What happens when you legally cannot purchase animals with money? You revert back to a trade and barter system. This podcast explores how the zoo industry ethically trades animals for their exhibits.
5. Episode 524 – Mr. Jones’ Act, August 5, 2016: This episode discusses the Jones Act, a law that mandates that if you want to trade goods domestically by sea, the ship must be American made.
6. Episode 670 – The Santa Suit, December 18, 2015: Importing a Santa Suit into the US can be more complicated than it looks. The podcast explores a current lawsuit over Santa suits’ HS classification in the tariff schedule.
7. Episode 662 – OMG TPP, November 6, 2015: Planet Money discusses the then newly released TPP text and the most interesting provisions they discovered.
8. Episode 635 - Trade Deal Confidential, June 26, 2015: Deep inside the day-to-day of trade negotiations, the podcast interviews former officials present in the NAFTA negotiations of the 1990s.
9. Episode 545 – The Blue Pallet, June 11, 2014: The podcast explores how the biggest transportation innovation in trade -- the pallet -- got better.

RadioLab

1. Mutant Rights, December 22, 2011: Are X-Men Action figures classified as “dolls” or “toys.” The answer can determine if you pay twice as many taxes as import. The RadioLab team interviews two international trade lawyers on how a court case determined the humanity of X-Men and its oddly existential repercussions.

​Freakonomics

1. Did China Eat America’s Jobs? January 26,2017: Trade has changed the US-China economic relationship. Have jobs really been lost to China? What are some policies that the US government can take that still promotes free trade but allows for economic adjustment?
2. Should the US Merge with Mexico, November 6, 2014: What if the two economies were much more open than what is stipulated in NAFTA? Freakonomics interviews former Mexican President Vicente Fox.

 
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Chelsea Hamati
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