Is More Open More Fair? (Kimberly Clausing)

If it is true that taxes are a reflection of our values, what signals are we sending? In this episode, we unpack the factors affecting job loss and creation, challenges faced by American workers versus other countries, and the vulnerabilities created by tax havens—and how to solve for them.

Harvard-educated economist Kimberly Clausing, the Thormund A. Miller and Walter Mintz Professor of Economics at Reed College, speaks with Steven Dean about these and other ideas explored in her new book, Open: The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital. She shares how this work was “born out of [her] despair following the 2016 election” and the trouble she had with messages from both the right and left concerning trade. Particularly in the wake of the 2017 changes to the tax law, Clausing champions effective solutions for American workers and the middle class. Her specific prescriptions address income inequality and economic insecurity through better-functioning markets that allow labor to share the fruits of economic progress. Clausing and Dean discuss the value of tax lawyers and economists working together at this important time for economic policy.

This episode also features a recording by an NYU Law student, Adam from Houston, Texas, reading a quote from one of the most famous tax cases, Gregory v. Helvering.

Congratulations to Professor Clausing on her announcement that she will soon be joining the faculty of the UCLA School of Law.

Resources

1. Professor Clausing’s biography
2. Open: The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital
3. For more about Professor Clausing's recent visit to NYU Law: Professor Daniel Shaviro's blog post about the book event and TaxProf Blog's post about the event
4. For the Pencil Question article, “The Curious Beginnings of the Capital Gains Tax Preference” by Ajay Mehrotra and Julia Ott
5. The announcement of Professor Clausing's move to UCLA
6. The case quoted by the student: Gregory v. Helvering