Indirect Taxation without Representation: A Conversation About Tariffs

At the time of the 2024 election, we found that candidates and the media never explained what democracy means to people’s everyday lives and it continues to be part of the nation’s conversation today.  To help people answer this question, the LWVMA Voter Engagement Committee has sponsored three recorded programs, in its “What Democracy Means in Everyday Life” series:

1. Voter Engagement. 
2. Intersectionality of Democracy and Immigration
3. Civic Engagement & Technology

We are pleased to announce our next program, “Indirect Taxation without Representation: A Conversation About Tariffs.” Our panelists will share their thoughts on the impact tariffs are having on democracy at the local, state, and national level.  They will also examine the role of  the U.S. Constitution, Congress and Legal System in the implementation and usage of tariffs. Watch the recording here.  

Panelists

• Kent Jones is Professor Emeritus of Economics at Babson College, having received his PhD in international economics from the Graduate Institute HEID at the University of Geneva, Switzerland.  He is the author of several books on trade policy and the World Trade Organization, most recently Populism and Trade.  In addition to his faculty positions he also served as a staff economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission and as a senior economist at the U.S. State Department.
• Jim Klocke is the chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network. MNN is the voice of the nonprofit sector, focusing on public policy advocacy, programs and services to help nonprofits grow, and communications that increase public awareness of the great work done by nonprofits. MNN’s 650+ members come from all regions of the Commonwealth and all sub-sectors of the nonprofit community. Before joining MNN, Jim was the executive vice president of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, where he directed the Chamber’s advocacy and economic development initiatives. Jim was educated at the University of Notre Dame and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Facilitator

• Erica Rachel Andrews is a passionate community organizer and nonprofit leader based in Springfield, Massachusetts. She currently serves as an At-Large Councilor and Treasurer on the McKnight Neighborhood Council. She is also the Co-Founder and President of https://springfield.community, a grassroots digital equity nonprofit focused on closing the technology access gap in Springfield. Across all her roles, Erica is committed to digital inclusion, grassroots empowerment, and building a more connected, equitable future.

  Erica is a Board Director for the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts and a local member of the Northampton Area League of Women Voters.