Did you know? Imports and exports equal slightly more than 20 percent of gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic output? That's what Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at California State University, Channel Islands, says.

Read more here. Do you agree or disagree with the reporter's piece?

This looks like someone we should follow: Paul Krugman (pictured), the Princeton University scholar and New York Times columnist. He won the Nobel economic prize for his analysis of how economies of scale can affect trade patterns and the location of economic activity.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences praised Krugman for formulating a new theory to answer questions about free trade.

"What are the effects of free trade and globalization? What are the driving forces behind worldwide urbanization? Paul Krugman has formulated a new theory to answer these questions," the academy said in its citation.

"He has thereby integrated the previously disparate research fields of international trade and economic geography," it said.

Read more about Paul's background, at least as a New York Times columnist, here.