An Economist’s Perspective on the Recent Landscape of Trade Defence Investigations

This article provides an overview of the recent landscape of trade defence investigations from an economist’s perspective and the many economic issues that may arise in conducting them. The article examines the calculation of the ‘dumping margin’ and the economic and statistical methodologies that can be used to make this calculation. The article also delves into the assessment of causality and explores how statistical and economic methods can be used. The role of market analysis in the interest test conducted in certain investigations is also discussed. The article concludes by examining ongoing related economic debates. Throughout, the emphasis is on the sophisticated, often technical analyses that can be critical to the outcome of trade defence investigations.