Lauren C. Konken

Canada to challenge Trump's tariffs at WTO, seeks redress under free trade deal Ottawa plans to challenge President Donald Trump's tariffs through a World Trade Organisation claim and seek redress under a regional trade agreement, a Canadian official disclosed on Sunday. Canada…

It was noted to me that Canada announced it would pursue a case at the WTO but didn’t really make the news: www.france24.com/en/americas/...

Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China would cost the typical US household over $1,200 a year

JUST PUBLISHED: Trump's announced tariffs—25% on Mexico & Canada (besides Canadian energy, at 10%) + a 10% increase in tariffs on China—would be the largest tax increase in at least a generation.

It would cost the median US household more than $1,200 a year. #PIIECharts

Mexican president says tariffs will be put on hold for a month Sheinbaum says Mexico reached a series of agreements with Trump to strengthen border security.

Much like the WTO DSB debacle, Canada has received no specific ask re: the tariff threat. Mexico in this instance did and has a commitment to respond, hence the threat being paused www.politico.com/news/2025/02...

The interesting thing for me as a trade scholar and GATT geek is that the US has adopted a blanket rule (25% on everything) vs Canada’s targeted list. And in all of this news I have seen exactly ZERO mention of the WTO or even USMCA trade dispute resolution fora. None.

Draft syllabus for my new class on the Politics of Climate Change in Developing States--open any and all feedback!

cobrienudry.github.io/files/The%20...

thanks to @jeffcolgan.bsky.social for the Climate Solution Lab's syllabus bank

A poem for my last day working at the writing center for the semester (by Joseph Fasano)

Having just spent 3 days at a Canadian science policy conference, it was frustrating to see such limited social sciences and humanities representation; even though I work in the housing and public infrastructure space, I had hoped for more. Hm.

Oof. I feel that. Grants made it possible for me to do remote research/bought me out of teaching while I managed recovery from a herniated disc.

What research grant enabled you to do your best work? Why? Was it just funding or something else?

Love this. Thanks Ricky!

There's a lot of talk about how Trump's tariffs may help revive American manufacturing by encouraging consumers to buy American-made goods. If you believe this, I want to tell you a story. 🧵

Lesley University is undergoing a massive cost-cutting program. Is it working? - The Boston Globe Administrators believe the Cambridge institution is on track to reverse from its financial woes. Staff and students say it’s happening at their expense.

Boston is home to more universities per capita than anywhere else in the US. I want to tell you about one, Lesley University, that you may not have heard of, and what Lesley leadership is doing to faculty. 1/

Asking for a friend. The friend is me. 🙋‍♀️

Question for 1st gen PhDs coming from a low income background. Do you also have personal finance ptsd despite graduating and having a better income than your stipend?

Every election is an opportunity to engage with students, to debrief, to collectively unpack, to grieve some outcomes, to celebrate others. And the research...I miss it more than I can say. 3/n

I miss teaching. I miss research. But I have also learned so much from this position about policymaking and stakeholder engagement. A stable liveable income, in a city I want to live in, with bounded work hours has also done wonders for my mental health. Still, today is a sad one for me. 2/n

In May of this year, I let go of a postdoc at Harvard in favour of a permanent full-time position in the Canada federal public service. I didn't want to risk the uncertainty of living in the US under Trump 2.0, or 3 three months of work visa delays, or 7 months of unemployment between positions. 1/n

$8.75 an hour for a part-time job as a pastry counter clerk at a family run Italian grocery/bakery. Ontario student wages in 2009. (Made more babysitting/nannying).

Excited to announce a call for papers and discussants for the Just Research Conference, to be held online May 9-11, 2024! Just Research is a virtual, free conference for early career scholars and grad students in political science! Apps are due April 1: sites.google.com/view/just-re...
#polisky

Unfortunately, I am looking at another unsuccessful year on the academic job market.

I’m trying to hold onto the dream of being a professor, or even a postdoc. The applications continue, as does seeking permanent employment since my current contract ends in May.

PoliSky what made for your best experience at a virtual conference or symposium? What activities facilitated networking?

Recent discovery: if you mix up some carrot cake batter, but bake it as cupcakes, you then have carrot muffins and they can be eaten for breakfast guilt-free.

Cumin powder is much stronger than cumin seeds. I usually use the latter, toasting them with sautéed onion.

International Political Economy Society (IPES)’s Virtual IPES is calling for paper submissions for its Winter/Spring 2024 round of workshops

VIPES: www.internationalpoliticaleconomysociety.org/virtual-ipes
Application link: forms.gle/BBGVJdJKnH2b...

I miss being in an office and bantering with colleagues about what cool things they're doing. As someone who works 100% remotely, it's not the same for me to chat with my cat about research or conference plans.

The US embassy in London has weighed in on the controversy created by a US scientist's suggestion that tea needs a pinch of salt.

PoliSky friends: do you know of cool work on urban planning, housing and quality of life - bonus points if the work focuses on Canada. Self cites welcome!

Good to Know: Hostage taking and the rise in hostage diplomacy Detaining foreign hostages to gain political concessions from another government is on the rise.

Looking to add something about hostage taking to your syllabi? Check out my latest for @goodauth.bsky.social, a "Good to Know" explainer on hostage taking and the rise in hostage diplomacy: goodauthority.org/news/good-to...

Polisky TeachLearnSky IntSec Conflictsky

Thrilled to share that my paper with Sojun Park on the exploitation of treaty ambiguity in TRIPs has been published by @the-peio.bsky.social and is available via open access today! doi.org/10.1007/s115...

Working through page proofs during the holidays is so worth it.