Alan is very well known as an international trade economist. He is Professor of Economics at the University of Sussex and Founding Director of the UK Trade Policy Organisation. He has served as Co-Director of the CEPR’s International Trade Programme and as Chief Economist at the UK Department for International Development, while previously he worked in various senior roles at the World Bank. He has recently retired as editor of the World Trade Review and CEO of the Migrating out of Poverty Research Programme Consortium. The UKTPO produces regular blogs and analysis on a variety of trade issues which can be found at https://blogs.sussex.ac.uk/uktpo
In the course of the discussion, Alan Winters gave his thoughts on Brexit, and the UK’s future trade relations with both developed and emerging economies. He is concerned that Brexit issues have largely been those with a political prominence rather than of economic importance. He discussed the potential changes in US trade policy after the election, warning that there may be more of a change in style than substance. Global trade growth has stagnated in recent years, and will be affected by a range of issues such as climate change, human rights and income inequality, all against the backdrop of the impact of the corona virus. Alan gave his thoughts on the outlook for trade, noting that democracy and globalisation are uneasy bedfellows. The interview ended with an outline of the work of the UKTPO and how its research agenda, and indeed the role of professional economists, can and should inform the public policy debate.
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