Peterson Institute Update

Labor markets and structural transformation in times of change: AI and demographic shifts

Tue, 17 Nov 2026 09:30:00 -0500

The Peterson Institute for International Economics has organized, jointly with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the World Bank, a two-day conference to bring together leading economists, policymakers, international institutions, and practitioners to examine how artificial intelligence (AI), demographic change, and shifting patterns of international specialization are reshaping labor markets and the future of work.
In research presentations and high-level discussions, speakers explore how AI is transforming jobs,…

Fourth annual Richard N. Cooper Memorial Lecture featuring Maurice Obstfeld

Jason Furman, Marcus Noland, Maurice Obstfeld — Fri, 13 Nov 2026 09:30:00 -0500

In his landmark 1968 book, The Economics of Interdependence, Richard N. Cooper examined a central challenge of the global economy: how nations can preserve the benefits of international economic cooperation while maintaining the freedom to pursue their own economic interests.
In this fourth annual Richard N. Cooper Memorial Lecture, Maurice Obstfeld, PIIE C. Fred Bergsten Senior Fellow, revisits the evolution of that challenge, tracing how the economic and political landscape of the late 1960s transformed over subsequent decades. Obstfeld examines tensions between economic interdependence and…

After Brazil's election: What's next for Latin America?

Tue, 10 Nov 2026 10:00:00 -0500

Brazil's October 25 presidential runoff marks a pivotal moment in a year of political transitions across Latin America, following US intervention in Venezuela and leadership changes in five other countries. Meanwhile, Mexico faces high-stakes renegotiations of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), with significant implications for regional trade and economic integration.
How might these political shifts reshape economic policy across the region? How will relations with the United States evolve, and what do these developments mean for the future of democracy in Latin America?…

The war in Ukraine, sanctions, and the Russian war economy

Cecilia Malmström, Elina Ribakova — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 09:00:00 -0500

Russia's war in Ukraine has now been going on for almost five years, with no end in sight. Western sanctions have hurt the Russian war economy, and it is suffering from growing structural fatigue, but the country is accelerating its attacks on Ukraine. The sanctions imposed by the US Congress under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act have recently been rolled back by President Donald Trump's decision to buy Russian diesel and waive sanctions. The European Union is increasing its military, economic, and humanitarian support for Ukraine, but will it be enough? What is the actual state…

Can the courts end Trump's illegal tariffs?

Alan Wm. Wolff — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0400

There was rejoicing in the anti-tariff world, including among American consumers and businesses relying on imported inputs on February 20, when the Supreme Court struck down the tariffs of 10 percent or higher that President Donald Trump imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
That said, the basic 10 percent blanket tariff stayed in place as if nothing had happened. The president invoked another tariff statute, Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, for, the president said, balance of payments reasons. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a division of the…

Monica de Bolle on Brazil's economy ahead of the presidential runoff election

Monica de Bolle — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Monica de Bolle (PIIE) joined CNN International to discuss the upcoming presidential runoff election in Brazil and how regardless of who wins, either candidate will face challenges in fixing Brazil's economic woes.
Video excerpt published with permission of The Brief with Jim Sciutto / CNNi.

Principled Pragmatism: Fourteen Years on the European Central Bank’s Governing Council

Klaas Knot — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Klaas Knot continues to believe that Europe’s sui generis integration creates unique challenges for economic policy and for monetary policy, creates a distinct responsibility for central bankers, and demands that the ECB’s policy be bound by laws, conditionality, and be anchored to the price stability mandate. But Europe's integration also calls for pragmatism in updating this policy framework in order to protect its original principles.

The US should consider allowing Chinese production of electric vehicles in America under certain conditions

Alan Wm. Wolff — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0400

In September 2026 President Donald Trump suggested he is open to Chinese automakers building cars in the US. The administration can and should explore ways to ease or remove the barriers to Chinese investment in EVs in the US. China's EV capabilities are formidable, so any policy to allow Chinese EV investment should carefully consider the perceived benefits to the US economy while focusing on guardrails to protect US jobs and national security.

Can the EU and Canada forge a new partnership?

Cecilia Malmström, Inu Manak — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 09:00:00 -0400

In an apparently impromptu gesture, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, welcomed Canada as an "associate member" of the European Union in her annual State of the Union speech in September. But while Europeans are nearly unanimously in favor of more cooperation with Canada on such issues as defense and climate change, making Canada an associate member would face many obstacles.
A summit between Canada and EU leaders at the end of October may clarify and deepen the new relationship. An anodyne draft joint statement is already circulating. But taking those ties to new…

Trump's trade war timeline 2.0: An up-to-date guide

Chad P. Bown — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 15:02:00 -0400

President Donald Trump has started his second term in office with momentous plans to change US trade policy to achieve various economic and nontrade related aims. Below is a timeline that tracks the development of the most notable trade actions by the United States and other countries with links to the latest available data and PIIE analysis. Entries will primarily focus on official government announcements and actions. (For actions during Trump's first term, visit this page.)