Taxes, tariffs and trade disputes continue to be central levers of economic and political power in the global economy. Taxes finance state services and redistribution, shape incentives, and influence firm behaviour, while tariffs directly affect international trade flows, consumer prices, and competitiveness. Trade wars, defined as episodes of escalating reciprocal tariffs or trade barriers, have the potential to generate extreme economic disruption and political tension between nations.
Historic trade disputes include the Smoot–Hawley tariffs of the 1930s, US–Japan tensions in the 1980s, and EU–US conflicts over digital taxation and aircraft subsidies. More recently, in 2025, US President Donald Trump enacted sweeping tariff increases that triggered a renewed global trade war, raising the average US tariff rate from 2.5% to 27% before settling around 18%. Steel, aluminium and copper faced 50% tariffs, imported cars 25%, and a universal 10% ‘reciprocal tariff’ was applied, alongside the removal of the de minimis exemption. By mid-2025, tariffs accounted for 5% of federal revenue, sparking disputes with Canada, Mexico and China, increasing financial market volatility, and lowering US and global growth projections.
We invite research that interrogates taxes, tariffs and trade wars primarily through the lens of global economics and finance, and international business studies. We welcome diverse theoretical, empirical and applied perspectives on how fiscal and trade policies shape firms, households, industries, and nations in a globalised economy.
Research is invited on a range of themes, including but not limited to:
Tax incidence and distributional effects: how households, workers and firms bear the burden of different taxes and tariffs across income levels, regions, and countries
Corporate taxation, profit shifting and tax competition: firm responses to tax differentials and the role of international coordination
Behavioural responses to taxation and tariffs: avoidance, evasion, compliance and strategic firm behaviour under changing regimes
Tariff passthrough and consumer welfare: international price transmission, inflationary impacts and the division of costs between domestic consumers and foreign exporters
Trade wars and macroeconomic outcomes: effects of sustained tariff increases on GDP growth, productivity, employment and investment across countries
Distributional and local effects of trade wars: regional, sectoral and labour market impacts, including politically targeted retaliation
Global value chains and supply chain reconfiguration: firm and industry adaptation to tariffs through reshoring, nearshoring or diversification
Political economy of tariffs and taxation: drivers of trade conflict escalation, lobbying, and institutional responses such as WTO or regional trade blocs
Historical and comparative perspectives: lessons from past episodes of tariff escalation and fiscal policy shifts in multiple countries
Finance and investment implications: capital market reactions, risk pricing, and multinational corporate strategy under tax and tariff uncertainty
Geopolitical and domestic perspectives: the role of taxes, tariffs, and trade wars as part of global political and economic strategy
Submissions may include empirical studies, theoretical models, historical analyses, policy evaluations, or applied research relevant to the economics, finance, or global business implications of taxation, tariffs, and trade disputes.
Studies that do not relate directly to the economics or finance of taxation and international trade will be considered out of scope.