Kimberly Clausing

Eric M. Zolt Chair in Tax Law and Policy

  • B.A. Carleton College, 1991
  • M.A. Harvard University, 1993
  • Ph.D. Harvard University, 1996
  • UCLA faculty since January 2021

Kimberly Clausing holds the Eric M. Zolt Chair in Tax Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law.

During the first part of the Biden Administration, Clausing was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax Analysis in the US Department of the Treasury, serving as the lead economist in the Office of Tax Policy. Prior to coming to UCLA, Clausing was the Thormund A. Miller and Walter Mintz Professor of Economics at Reed College.

Her research examines how government decisions and corporate behavior interplay in the global economy. She has published numerous articles on the taxation of multinational firms, and she is the author of Open: The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital (Harvard University Press, 2019).

Professor Clausing is a nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. She has worked on economic policy research with the International Monetary Fund, the Hamilton Project, the Brookings Institution, the Tax Policy Center, and the Center for American Progress. She has testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Committee on Finance, the Senate Committee on the Budget, and the Joint Economic Committee.

Professor Clausing has received two Fulbright Research awards (to Belgium and Cyprus), and her research has been supported by external grants from the National Science Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation, the International Centre for Tax and Development, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth.

Professor Clausing received her B.A. from Carleton College in 1991 and her Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1996, both in economics.

View Professor's Clausing's CV.

Bibliography

  • Books
    • Open: The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital. Harvard University Press (2019). | Amazon
  • Research Papers
    • US International Taxation after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, 2024 Journal of Economic Perspectives. Summer. Full Text
    • Climate Policy Reform Options in 2025 (with John Bistline, Neil Mehrotra, James Stock, and Catherine Wolfram), Environmental and Energy Policy and the Economy (forthcoming 2024). Full Text
    • How Trade Cooperation by the United States, the European Union, and China Can Fight Climate Change (with Chad Bown) (2024). The Green Frontier: Assessing the Economic Implications of Climate Action. Pisani-Ferry, Jean and Adam Posen, eds. PIIE. Full Text
    • Capital Taxation and Market Power, Tax Law Review (2024). Full Text
    • Taxation in the Open Economy, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Economics and Finance, (2024 forthcoming). Full Text
    • The Coming Fiscal Cliff: A Blueprint for Tax Reform in 2025 (with Natasha Sarin), Hamilton Project Paper (September 2023). Full Text
    • The U.S. Perspective on International Tax Law, in The Oxford Handbook of International Tax Law (2023). Book Info.
    • Carbon Border Adjustments, Climate Clubs, and Subsidy Races When Climate Policies Vary, (with Catherine Wolfram), Journal of Economic Perspectives (Forthcoming, Summer 2023). Full Text
    • The Revenue Consequences of Pillar Two: Five Key Considerations, Tax Notes Federal. (And Tax Notes International). (July 24,2023). Full Text
    • Five Lessons on Profit Shifting from the US Country by Country Data, 169(6) Tax Notes Federal 925-940 (Nov. 2020). Also Tax Notes International (2020). Full Text
    • Profit Shifting Before and After the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, 73(4) National Tax Journal 1233-1266 (2020). Online Appendixes | Full Text
    • Fixing the Five Flaws of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, 11(2) Columbia Journal of Tax Law 31-75 (2020). Full Text
    • Taxing Multinational Companies in the 21st Century, in Tackling the Tax Code: Efficient and Equitable Ways to Raise Revenue 237-283 (edited by Jay Shambaugh and Ryan Nunn, Washington, DC: The Hamilton Project, 2020). Full Text
    • Ending Corporate Tax Avoidance and Tax Competition: A Plan to Collect the Tax Deficit of Multinationals (with with Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman), UCLA School of Law, Law & Economics Paper No. 20-12 (July 2020). Full Text
    • Towards a 21st Century International Tax Regime (with Reuven Avi-Yonah), Tax Notes International 839-849 (Aug. 2019). Full Text
    • Does Tax Drive the Headquarters Locations of the World’s Biggest Companies?, 25(2) Transnational Corporations 37-65 (2018). Full Text
    • Is U.S. Corporate Income Double-Taxed? (with Leonard Burman and Lydia Austin), 70(3) National Tax Journal 675-706 (Sept. 2017). Full Text
    • Problems with Destination-Based Corporate Taxes and the Ryan Blueprint (with Reuven Avi-Yonah), 8 Columbia Journal of Tax Law 229-255 (2017). Full Text
    • The Effect of Profit Shifting on the Corporate Tax Base in the United States and Beyond, 69(4) National Tax Journal 905-934 (Dec. 2016). Full Text
    • A Price-Based Royalty Tax? (with Michael Durst), 83(9) Tax Notes International 803-814 (2016). Full Text
    • U.S. Corporate Income Tax Reform and its Spillovers (with Edward Kleinbard and Thornton Matheson), IMF Working Paper WP/16/127 (July 2016). Full Text
    • The U.S. State Experience under Formulary Apportionment: Are There Lessons for International Tax Reform?, 69(2) National Tax Journal 353-386 (June 2016). Online Appendix | Full Text
    • The Nature and Practice of Capital Tax Competition, in Global Tax Governance (edited by Peter Dietsch and Thomas Rixen, ECPR Press, 2016). Full Text
    • Beyond Territorial and Worldwide Systems of International Taxation, 15(2) Journal of Internation Finance and Economics 43-58 (2015). Full Text
    • The Future of the Corporate Tax, 66(4) Tax Law Review 419-443 (2013). Full Text
    • Who Pays the Corporate Tax in a Global Economy?, 66(1) National Tax Law Journal 151-184 (2013). Full Text
    • In Search of Corporate Tax Incidence, 65(3) Tax Law Review 433-472 (2012). Full Text
    • A Burden-Neutral Shift From Foreign Tax Creditability to Deductibility? (with Daniel Shaviro), 64(4) Tax Law Review 431-452 (2011). Full Text
    • Corporate Tax Revenues Under Formulary Apportionment:  Evidence from the Financial Reports of 50 Major U.S. Multinational Firms (with Yaron Lahav), 20(2) Journal of International Accounting 97-105 (2011). Full Text
    • Should Tax Policy Target Multinational Firm Headquarters?, 63(4) National Tax Journal 741-763 (Dec. 2010). Full Text
    • Multinational Firm Tax Avoidance and Tax Policy, 62(4) National Tax Journal 703-725 (Dec. 2009). Full Text
    • Allocating Business Profits for Tax Purposes: A Proposal to Adopt a Formulary Profit Split (with Reuven S. Avi-Yonah and Michael C. Durst), 9(5) Florida Tax Review 497-553 (2009). Full Text
    • Closer Economic Integration and Corporate Tax Systems, 8(2) Global Economy Journal 1-22 (2008). Full Text
    • Reforming Corporate Taxation in a Global Economy: A Proposal to Adopt Formulary Apportionment (with Reuven Avi-Yonah), in Path to Prosperity: Hamilton Project Ideas on Income Security, Education, and Taxes 319-344 (edited by Jason Furman and Jason E. Bordoff, Brookings Institution Press, 2008). Full Text
    • Corporate Tax Revenues in OECD Countries, 14 International Tax and Public Finance 115-133 (April 2007). Full Text
    • International Tax Avoidance and U.S. International Trade, 59(2) National Tax Journal 269-287 (June 2006). Full Text
    • Tax Holidays (and Other Escapes) in the American Jobs Creation Act, 58(3) National Tax Journal 331-346 (Sept. 2005). Full Text
    • Re-Entering Europe: Does European Union Candidacy Boost Foreign Direct Investment? (with Cosmina Dorobantu), 13(1) Economics of Transition 77-103 (Jan. 2005). Full Text
    • The Role of U.S. Tax Policy in Offshoring, in Brookings Trade Forum: Offshoring White-Collar Work 457-482 (edited by Susan Collins and Lael Brainard, Brookings Institution Press, 2006). Full Text
    • Tax-Motivated Transfer Pricing and U.S. Intrafirm Trade Prices, 87 Journal of Public Economics 2207-2223 (Sept. 2003). Reprinted in International Taxation: International Library of Critical Writings in Economics pp. 255-271 (edited by James R. Hines, Jr., Elgar Reference, 2008). Full Text
    • Trade Creation and Trade Diversion in the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement, 34(3) Canadian Journal of Economics 677-696 (Aug. 2001). Full Text
    • The Impact of Transfer Pricing on Intrafirm Trade, in International Taxation and Multinational Activity 173-194 (edited by James R. Hines, Jr., University of Chicago Press, 2001). Book Info
    • Customs Unions and Free Trade Areas, 15(3) Journal of Economic Integration 418-435 (2000). Full Text
    • Does Multinational Activity Displace Trade?, 38(2) Economic Inquiry 190-205 (April 2000). Full Text
    • Tax Reform and Realizations of Capital Gains in 1986 (with Leonard Burman and John O'Hare), 47(1) National Tax Journa 1-18 (Mar. 1994). Full Text
  • Selected Shorter Works And Public Commentary
    • Can Trump Replace Income Taxes with Tariffs? (with Maurice Obstfeld). Real Time Economics, Peterson Institute for International Economics Blog. 20 June 2024. Full Text
    • Why Trump’s Tariff Proposals would hurt Working Americans. (with Mary Lovely).  Peterson Institute for International Economics Policy Brief 24-1. May 2024. Full Text
    • Combating Market Power through a Graduated U.S. Corporate Income Tax, Washington Center for Equitable Growth Issue Brief.. April 2024. Full Text
    • Risks and Opportunities in the 2025 Tax Debate. Testimony before the Joint Economic Committee. March 2024. Full Text
    • The 1990s are Over: Five Reasons to Embrace Carbon Pricing Today. (with Catherine Wolfram), The Hill.. 26 March 2024. Full Text
    • Reforming U.S. International Taxation to Meet the Challenges Ahead. Testimony before the Senate Committee on the Budget. 17 January 2024. Full Text
    • Putting Progress over Protectionism in Climate Policy. (with Catherine Wolfram), Real Time Economics, Peterson Institute for International Economics Blog. . 19 December 2023. Full Text
    • There’s a big opportunity coming to change course on the federal budget. (with Natasha Sarin), Washington Post,. 14 November 2023. Full Text
    • Debunking 5 Republican arguments against the global minimum tax (with Natasha Sarin), The Washington Post (7 August 2023). Full Text
    • How an International Agreement on Methane Emissions can Pave the Way for Enhanced Global Cooperation on Climate Change (with Luis Garicano and Catherine Wolfram), Peterson Institute for International Economics Policy Brief,. 23-7.  (2023) Full Text
    • Testimony before the Senate Committee on the Budget. 18 April 2023 Full Text
    • The International Tax Agreement of 2021: Why it’s Needed, What it Does, and What Comes Next? , Peterson Institute for International Economics Policy Brief,. 23-4. April 2023.  Full Text
    • The Global Minimum Tax Lives On, Foreign Affairs (17 August 2022). Full Text
    • No, Joe Manchin, Taxes Don’t Cause Inflation, Bloomberg and Washington Post (20 July 2022). Full Text
    • Testimony before the Joint Economic Committee (Oct. 6, 2021). Full Text
    • Testimony Before the Senate Committee on Finance (March 23, 2021). Full Text
    • The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was Wrongheaded from Day 1, LA Times (Oct. 22, 2020).
    • Taxing the Rich, Econofact (Oct. 2020). First version: 2019. Full Text
    • Business Tax Principles for the Time of Coronavirus, Business Tax Principles for the Time of Coronavirus (May 15, 2020). Full Text
    • Global Medical Trade in the Time of the Coronavirus Pandemic, Washington Center for Equitable Growth (May 6, 2020). Full Text
    • ‘America First’ in the Time of COVID-19, The Hill (Mar. 14, 2020). Full Text
    • Options for International Tax Policy After TCJA, Center for American Progress (Jan. 30, 2020). Full Text
    • International Trade Policy that Works for U.S. Workers, in Vision 2020: Evidence for a Stronger Economy 54-62 (Washington Center for Equitable Growth, 2020). Full Text
    • The Progressive Case Against Protectionism, Foreign Affairs (Nov./Dec. 2019). Full Text
    • Five Reasons Democrats Should be the Party of Free Trade, The Hill (July 31, 2019). Full Text
    • Whatever Trump Gave You in Tax Cuts He is Taking Away with His Trade Policy (with Edward Kleinbard), L.A.Times (June 5, 2019). Full Text
    • Building a Better Globalization, Harvard Business Review (May 13, 2019). Full Text
    • Fixing Our ‘America Last’ Tax Policy, The Hill (April 11, 2019). Full Text
    • Policy Implications from Rising Economic Inequality (with Hilary Hoynes), Econofact (Nov. 14, 2018). Full Text
    • Trump’s Tax Cut is Turning 1, and it’s Not a Happy Birthday, The Hill (Oct. 22, 2018). Full Text
    • How will the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Impact American Workers?, Eonofact (May 29, 2018). Full Text
    • The GOP’s Final Tax Bill has Four Fatal Flaws, The hill (Dec. 18, 2017). Full Text
    • Who Gains From the Tax Plan? Economists Face Off, NY Times (Dec. 1, 2017). (Column featured as debate versus Douglas Holtz-Eakin.) Full Text
    • Testimony before the Senate Committee on Finance (Oct. 3, 2017). Full Text
    • Testimony Before House Ways and Means Committee (May 23, 2017). Full Text
    • Labor and Capital in the Global Economy, Democracy: A Journal of Ideas (2017). Full Text
    • The Real (and Imagined) Problems with the U.S. Corporate Tax Code, Harvard Business Review (Dec. 5, 2016). Full Text
    • Strengthening the Indispensable U.S. Corporate Tax, Washington Center for Equitable Growth (Sept. 2016). Full Text
    • Profit Shifting and U.S. Corporate Tax Policy Reform, Washington Center for Equitable Growth (May 2016). Full Text
    • 3 Myths About Inversions and U.S. Corporate Taxes, Fortune (Jan. 30, 2016). Full Text
    • Corporate Inversions, Urban Institute/Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center (Aug. 2014). Full Text
    • A Challenging Time for International Tax Policy, Tax Notes 281-283 (July 16, 2012). Full Text
    • The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004: Creating Jobs for Accountants and Lawyers, Urban Institute/Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center. Tax Policy Issues and Options. Brief No. 8 (Dec. 2004). Full Text

Courses Available

LAW 220

Introduction to Federal Income Taxation
LAW 224

U.S. International Taxation
LAW 488

Policy Challenges in Tax Law
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