Bücher von Robert Lawrence

American Supporters of free trade are on the defensive. Record U.S. trade deficits are fueling demands from industry, Congress, and the public for tariffs, import quotas, and other protectionist measures that could reverse America's long-standing commitment to open markets and sacrifice much of the economic progress experienced in recent years. In Saving Free Trade: A Pragmatic Approach, Robert Z. Lawrence and Robert E. Litan analyze both the allure of protectionism and the problems associated with free trade, proposing reasonable, cost-effective ways of helping industries, workers, and communities battered by intense import competition. The book focuses on the escape clause of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974, meant to provide domestic industries temporary shelter from severe import competition, and the trade adjustment assistance program, designed to provide direct aid to companies, workers, and communities injured by imports. The authors analyze the assumptions and implication of the many current congressional attempts to amend the provisions of the escape clause and the assistance program. They then set forth their own proposals, including new definitions of import injuries, modifications of provisions for providing relief for beleaguered companies, new standards for compensating and retaining displaced workers, and a plan for insuring communities against severe losses to their tax bases if local industries fail because they can no longer compete. Saving Free Trade provides a detailed but nontechnical introduction to the complex implications of amending trade policy and shrewd, innovative proposals for improving America's ability to adapt to rapid changes in world markets.

Benny the Not-so-Busy Beaver is a heartwarming story that follows a lazy beaver named Benny who would rather play than prepare for the upcoming winter. By the end of the story, Benny learns a valuable lesson about friendships and hard work.

After Midnight is a collection of macabre stories and poems by Robert Lawrence that showcases his morbid imagination. In these fourteen tales, we see a blood-thirsty cougar ("The Hunter"), an infestation of flesh-eating bugs ("Joe''s Last Letter"), a sinister serial killer ("Spirit in the Sky"), and many more. This is a horrifying compilation that is best read after midnight.

Changes in international trade are not the major reason for the declining share of manufacturing in US employment: even though foreign productive capabilities are catching up with those of the United States, the US comparative advantage in high-technology products has increased. The author looks at these and other issues and seeks to clarify some common misperceptions about US manufacturing.