Just downloaded this report from the WB (the World Bank, not Warner Bros). If there is anything particularly fun in there, I’ll post later. I’m looking for clear examples of protectionism by nations that have recently preached free trade. I wonder if the U.S. and China made the list?

Since G-20 leaders signed a pledge in November 2008 to avoid protectionist measures, several countries, including 17 of the G-20, have implemented 47 measures that restrict trade at the expense of other countries, a new World Bank study shows.

Since the beginning of the financial crisis, officials have proposed and/or implemented roughly 78 trade measures, according to the World Bank’s monitoring list of trade and trade-related measures. Of these, 66 involved trade restrictions, and 47 trade-restricting measures eventually took effect. The effects of these measures are likely minor relative to the size of unaffected markets but they have a significant negative effect on particular exporters shut out of markets.

FYI, I’m also looking at the WB’s Quarterly Econ Report, which was released this morning. Not always something interesting there to blog about, but I’ll have a look. The initial reporting is all about China’s economy being bad, but not horrible all things considered.