A solid commitment to advancing trade liberalization is the best approach to ensure that America continues to reap the benefits of international commerce. It also signals that the U.S. remains committed to helping other countries to prosper.
Issues 2012 provides candidates for elected office the ability to quickly identify the key issues of the day and present clear policy recommendations, supported by facts, for addressing them. Read More.
The Obama Administration—after allowing U.S. free trade agreements (FTAs) with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama to languish unapproved for nearly four years—lately appears eager to push Congress to ratify all three soon. Read More.
Would free trade between the U.S. and South Korea be good or bad? Opponents of the proposed trade agreement between the two countries (KORUS) make frightening arguments about the agreement, claiming everything from lost jobs and U.S. sovereignty to special privileges for foreign investors. Read More.
The Heritage Foundation began ranking trade freedom around the world in 1995. The newest rankings (to appear in the 2011 Index of Economic Freedom) show global trade freedom as high as it has ever been. Read More.
Abstract: Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) will put U.S. companies at a disadvantage with their global competitors unless Congress first exempts Russia from the application of the Jackson–Vanik Amendment, a tool from the 1970s designed to promote human rights that no…
Bilateral investment treaties (BITs) extend fundamental trade principles, such as nondiscrimination among partners, to investment. In 2009, the Obama Administration began revising the model BIT, the outline that the U.S. initially provides other countries. This month, the revised model BIT was released. The Administration touts it as improving labor and…
Liberals and conservatives have plenty to disagree about. But faced with continuing high levels of unemployment and slow economic growth, they should agree on a few things—and one is that Congress should find ways to help Americans at the bottom rung of the economic ladder. The Affordable Footwear Act (AFA)…
In this week's Heritage in Focus podcast, Bryan Riley discusses the sugar quota that is driving up candy prices, and how this trade policy can be fixed. David Weinberger hosts. To get regular updates on Heritage in Focus podcasts, visit our RSS feed or subscribe on iTunes. …
Abstract: North Carolina has a long record of support for open markets, and recent trade agreements have benefited its citizens. Foreign trade—exports and imports—is responsible for more jobs in the state than the textile, apparel, and furniture industries combined. Despite these facts, North Carolina’s…
The Save Our Industries (SAVE) Act, introduced by Representative Jim McDermott (D–WA) and supported by 20 cosponsors in the House and by Senator Daniel Inouye (D–HI) and three cosponsors in the Senate, would grant duty-free treatment to apparel assembled in the Philippines from American-made fabrics. It is a win-win for…
Robert Alt discussed the legal issues regarding fracking on Your News Now. …
Sino–American economic conflicts are often characterized as “bad but improving.” For example, the trade deficit is ugly, but exports to China are rising, protection of intellectual property is said to be slowly expanding, and so on. There is an important matter, however, where the situation is bad and the case…
An optimistic view of the April 9 meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is that it will produce a stronger relationship with an emerging global power here in the Americas. Despite significant differences on key democracy, human rights, and foreign policy issues, the U.S. must…
The United States has a truly massive economic relationship with East Asia. U.S.–East Asia trade exceeds $1 trillion annually, and two-way investment is more than $4 trillion. The U.S. also has many complaints about the economic relationship. Some refer to the huge trade deficit America runs…
Abstract: China’s leap from poverty due to the marvelously successful market reforms introduced in 1978 has obscured serious weaknesses in its economy—especially compared to the American economy. These weaknesses have been exacerbated by renewed Chinese state intervention that began around 2003. Many seem convinced…
International trade is the framework upon which American prosperity rests. Free trade policies have created a level of competition in today's open market that engenders continual innovation and leads to better products, better-paying jobs, new markets, and increased savings…
It’s the year before a presidential election, so it must be time to debate the Law of the Sea Treaty (“LOST”) again. As recently as last Thursday the Chief of Naval Operations pleaded for the U.S. to join the treaty. The Obama Administration has supported Senate action on LOST since…
Free trade is again under attack, despite having been, for over a century, the basis of America's wealth. Some groups in the United States blame free trade for the loss of manufacturing jobs, while others…
Abstract: If the U.S. becomes a member of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, it will be required to transfer a large portion of the royalties generated on the U.S. extended continental shelf to the International Seabed Authority. These royalties…
Abstract: Promoting economic freedom at home and abroad is essential to revitalizing the U.S. economy. In 2010, for the first time ever, the United States fell from the ranks of the economically free in the Index of Economic Freedom, and economic freedom in the…
FYI: Heritage WebMemos are now called Issue Briefs. The national average for gas prices is almost $3.60 per gallon, increasing 40 cents from a year ago and jumping 20 cents from just one…
The subject of ethics has increasingly been present in economic analysis,1 although not without considerable debate. Some economists believe that the importance of economics is purely technical. Others believe that moral considerations in economic analysis provide a more accurate picture of possible outcomes since it takes into consideration the human aspect of…
An effort funded by a major left-wing environmentalist group is looking to appeal to conservative and libertarian...…
Popular opinion demonizes the U.S. for importing more goods than it exports, or running a “trade deficit.” This view...…
With negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) between the U.S. and eight other countries set to resume...…
North Carolinians, like many Americans, are concerned that opening the door to foreign companies will result in the loss...…
China has the world’s second-largest GDP, the world’s largest monetary base, and the world’s largest foreign exchange...…
India’s successful test of the Agni-V, a nuclear-capable long-range missile, is a major step forward for New Delhi in...…
Sugar producers contribute only a small percentage of value to overall U.S. crop production, yet the industry...…
In his time in office, President Obama has made some seriously bad proposals and decisions on energy policy, and...…
The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a subpoena against electric vehicle company ECOtality in October of 2010,...…
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) just announced that the country’s current account deficit for 2011 was $473.4...…
Senior Research Fellow in Anglo-American Relations
Director, Center for Data Analysis and Lazof Family Fellow
Deputy Director, The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies and Director, Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies
Vice President, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, and Director, The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies
Senior Policy Analyst, Economic Freedom
Senior Research Fellow, Northeast Asia
Director, Asian Studies Center
Director, Center for International Trade and Economics and the Mark A. Kolokotrones Fellow in Economic Freedom
Jay Van Andel Senior Policy Analyst in Trade Policy
Research Fellow For Economic Freedom and Growth