The Role of Self-Employment in Mitigating Trade Shocks of Chinese Imports on U.S. County Labor Markets

This paper embeds an analysis of self-employment into the framework of international trade and local economies, seeking to explain how entrepreneurship can shape local labor market response to trade shocks. We investigate the cross-effect of self-employment and change in Chinese imports on US county labor markets during 2000-2007. Our empirical results suggest that counties with higher self-employment experience smaller job losses and wage cuts in response to Chinese imports. That suggests self-employment or entrepreneurship activities in local economies mitigate adverse impacts of trade penetration

Walnut growers want rootstocks that can resist diseases

English walnuts are the walnut species of choice for nut production. In the United States, edible English walnuts are almost exclusively produced in California, using soil and water resources on more than 370,000 acres. Scion cultivars of English walnuts are grafted onto rootstocks. Traditional rootstocks are seedling populations of so-called Paradox hybrids generated from crosses of black walnut with English walnut. These rootstocks are susceptible to soil-borne diseases, including crown gall, Phytophthora root and crown rot, and plant-parasitic nematodes. Strategies to respond to these diseases include the use of newly developed clonal walnut rootstocks with genetic resistance. In a survey conducted during 2020 through 2021, walnut growers revealed their willingness to pay higher prices for clonal walnut rootstocks with some disease resistance. The survey showed that they were most concerned with crown gall and nematodes, and were willing to pay significant price premiums for rootstocks that are resistant to these pathogens