Simon Chair in Political Economy

The current holder of the William E. Simon Chair in Political Economy, Sidney Weintraub (pictured above), is an economist who specializes on issues of trade, investment, and international finance. These responsibilities are global in scope. Dr. Weintraub has a particular interest in Latin America and Canada.

He devotes much attention to the workings of NAFTA and the progress of economic integration arrangements and trade policy in the hemisphere. Dr. Weintraub provided leadership on an extended study of the automotive industry in North America, The North American Auto Industry under NAFTA.

Recent Publications include:

• Energy Cooperation in the Western Hemisphere: Benefits and Impediments (CSIS, 2007)
• Commentaries on International Political Economy: Constructive Irreverence (CSIS, 2004)
• Free Trade in the Americas: Economic and Political Issues for Governance and Firms (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2004)
• NAFTA’s Impact on North America: The First Decade (CSIS, 2004)
• Financial Decision-Making in Mexico: To Bet a Nation (Macmillan, 2000)
• Development and Democracy in the Southern Cone: Imperatives for U.S. Policy in South America (CSIS, 2000)

Dr. Weintraub is currently working on a study of Mexico’s economic dependency on the United States and how that economic relationship affects policy negotiations between the two countries. He is contemplating two additional projects: a study of benefits, costs, and feasibility of providing medical services under Medicare in Mexico to eligible retirees residing there; and a study of the drivers behind the ethanol debate across the Western Hemisphere.