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Geoeconomics | Podcast
As geopolitical tensions rise, countries like to flex their economic muscle. But as appealing as they might be, sanctions, tariffs, and export bans come at a price. Jeffry Frieden is a professor of international and public affairs and political science at Columbia University. In this podcast, he says when economic and geopolitical relations become tightly connected, bad things can happen.
JEFFRY FRIEDEN
Geoeconomics | June 2026
Governments have good reasons to use tariffs or sanctions for geopolitical purposes but should consider the trade-offs
Even optimal economic policies create winners and losers, and that’s where politics steps in. Trade liberalization is an example of a policy that can make a country better off as a whole, but what happens to workers who lose out to cheaper goods? Jeffry Frieden says while politics is often messy, it’s how society puts a value on things economists can’t measure.
Political economy | March 2024
Politics is often messy, but it’s how society puts a value on things economists can’t measure
Political economy | June 2020
We should pay closer attention to the interactions between politics, economics, and other realms
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