Publications
In this issue, we explore how a deal by shipping giant MSC and BlackRock to buy dozens of port terminals from a Hong Kong-based operator will concentrate international trade in the hands of a single foreign corporation and threaten national security, despite the U.S. asset manager’s involvement.
Read MoreOpen Markets Institute transportation analyst Arnav Rao released a statement urging the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation to halt confirmation proceedings for the President’s Surface Transportation Board nominees.
Read MoreTransportation analyst Arnav Rao argues that Donald Trump’s promise to revive U.S. shipbuilding has unraveled amid leadership failures, bureaucratic dysfunction, and neglect of the nation’s maritime industrial base—leaving America’s shipyards weaker and less prepared for economic and national security challenges.
Read MoreOpen Markets Institute’s transportation analyst Arnav Rao published an article on Trump’s faltering shipbuilding agenda, arguing that the president has “gutted the very offices, funding streams, and foreign partnerships” needed to rebuild U.S.
Read MoreTransportation analyst Arnav Rao argues that Trump’s push to revive U.S. shipbuilding has more substance than his usual policy swings, since the industry is vital to national security and enjoys rare bipartisan support. Still, Rao notes that America’s shipyards remain plagued by delays, high costs, and dependence on foreign-built vessels — meaning any true revival would require a coordinated, large-scale effort reminiscent of the Liberty ship program of World War II.
Read MoreTransportation analyst Arnav Rao writes that Union Pacific’s proposed merger with Norfolk Southern would dangerously consolidate the U.S. freight rail industry—threatening service reliability, competition, and the nation’s economic resilience under the guise of efficiency.
Read MoreTransportation analyst Arnav Rao argues that restoring the Jones Act and enforcing antitrust laws are essential to reviving American shipbuilding and reducing dependence on foreign shipping cartels .
Read MoreA report by transportation policy analyst Arnav Rao and corresponding feature article in The Atlantic, exposes alarming decline in U.S. Maritime power and how to build it back.
Read MoreTransportation analyst Arnav Rao warns that decades of deregulation and offshoring have left the U.S. dangerously dependent on foreign-controlled ocean shipping, calling for urgent policy reforms to rebuild domestic maritime strength, protect national security, and stabilize the economy.
Read MoreTransportation analyst Arnav Rao discusses findings from his recent report on ocean shipping, arguing that decades of deregulation and foreign dependence have crippled U.S. maritime capacity—and calls for restoring regulated competition and public investment to revive it.
Read MoreTransportation analyst Arnav Rao argues that while Elon Musk's push to privatize Amtrak grabs headlines, the real threat to U.S. passenger rail is the unchecked power of freight rail monopolies.
Read MoreTransportation analyst Arnav Rao touches on Amtrak’s failures are less about government inefficiency and more the result of corporate monopolies, financialization, and political sabotage.
Read MoreIn this issue, we look at the new antimonopoly caucus in the House, and examine how monopoly and Wall Street power keeps Amtrak off track, denying better train service to Americans across the country.
Read MoreTransportation analyst Arnav Rao warns that targeting Chinese shipping could disrupt global supply chains and escalate economic tensions.
Read MoreOpen Markets Institute’s transportation policy analyst, Arnav Rao, published an op-ed arguing that instead of making grandiose claims about the Panama Canal, President Trump should focused on restoring U.S. shipbuilding as well as adopting a more robust maritime policy to reclaim the seas from China and foreign corporations.
Read MoreOpen Markets Institute Transportation Policy Analyst Arnav Rao comments on a USTR investigation that finds China uses monopoly practices to dominate the maritime industry.
Read MoreOpen Markets Institute submitted a comprehensive comment letter to the Justice Department (DOJ) and Department of Transportation (DOT), outlining actionable steps to address the ongoing decline in the airline industry and air travel experience.
Read MoreTransportation policy analyst Arnav Rao writes on how ocean freight carriers are exploiting their monopolistic control to hike prices and boost profits, harming U.S. importers, exporters, and small businesses, necessitating stronger regulatory oversight to restore fair pricing.
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