Trade

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.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Trade Policy in 2012 Elections Trade Policy in 2012 Elections

    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.

  • Creating U.S. Jobs and Exports Creating U.S. Jobs and Exports

    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.

  • 10 Myths About KORUS and Free Trade Agreements 10 Myths About KORUS and Free Trade Agreements

    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.

  • Trade Freedom Continues to Advance—Barely Trade Freedom Continues to Advance—Barely

    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.

Our Research & Offerings on Trade
  • Backgrounder posted May 14, 2012 by Ariel Cohen, Ph.D., Bryan Riley After WTO Membership: Promoting Human Rights in Russia with the Magnitsky Act

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted April 26, 2012 by Derek Scissors, Ph.D. The New Model BIT: Necessary but Not Sufficient

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted April 24, 2012 by Edward Gresser, Bryan Riley Give Shoe Taxes the Boot

    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)…

  • Bryan Riley on the Sugar Quota: Heritage in Focus Podcast Audio Recorded on April 19, 2012 Bryan Riley on the Sugar Quota: Heritage in Focus Podcast

    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. …

  • Special Report posted April 16, 2012 by Bryan Riley Trade and Prosperity in the 50 States: The Case of North Carolina

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted April 12, 2012 by Walter Lohman How the U.S. Can Support Free Trade in the Philippines

    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…

  • Play Movie Robert Alt on Fracking on YNN Video Recorded on April 11, 2012 Robert Alt on Fracking on YNN

    Robert Alt discussed the legal issues regarding fracking on Your News Now. …

  • Issue Brief posted April 9, 2012 by Derek Scissors, Ph.D. Chinese Commercial Espionage: U.S. Policy Recommendations

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted April 6, 2012 by Ray Walser, Ph.D. U.S.–Brazil Summit: Time for a Bold Policy Vision

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted March 7, 2012 by Derek Scissors, Ph.D. Strengthening U.S.–Indonesia Economic Relations

    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…

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  • Backgrounder posted April 14, 2011 by Derek Scissors, Ph.D. The United States vs. China—Which Economy Is Bigger, Which Is Better

    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…

  • Backgrounder posted August 25, 2000 by Denise Froning The Benefits of Free Trade: A Guide For Policymakers

    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…

  • Commentary posted July 6, 2011 by Steven Groves Law of Sea Treaty Could Cost U.S. Trillions

    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…

  • Backgrounder posted May 14, 2012 by Ariel Cohen, Ph.D., Bryan Riley After WTO Membership: Promoting Human Rights in Russia with the Magnitsky Act

    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…

  • Backgrounder posted May 24, 2004 by Ana Eiras Why America Needs to Support Free Trade

    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…

  • Backgrounder posted June 7, 2011 by Steven Groves U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea Erodes U.S. Sovereignty over U.S. Extended Continental Shelf

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted April 9, 2012 by Derek Scissors, Ph.D. Chinese Commercial Espionage: U.S. Policy Recommendations

    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…

  • Special Report posted February 17, 2012 by The Heritage Foundation Economic Freedom Task Force America’s Global Agenda for Economic Freedom

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted February 23, 2012 by Nicolas Loris High Gas Prices: Obama's Half-Truths vs. Reality

    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…

  • Lecture posted December 9, 2003 by Ana Eiras Ethics, Corruption, and Economic Freedom

    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…

Find more work on Trade
  • Backgrounder posted May 14, 2012 by Ariel Cohen, Ph.D., Bryan Riley After WTO Membership: Promoting Human Rights in Russia with the Magnitsky Act

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted April 26, 2012 by Derek Scissors, Ph.D. The New Model BIT: Necessary but Not Sufficient

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted April 24, 2012 by Edward Gresser, Bryan Riley Give Shoe Taxes the Boot

    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)…

  • Special Report posted April 16, 2012 by Bryan Riley Trade and Prosperity in the 50 States: The Case of North Carolina

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted April 12, 2012 by Walter Lohman How the U.S. Can Support Free Trade in the Philippines

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted April 9, 2012 by Derek Scissors, Ph.D. Chinese Commercial Espionage: U.S. Policy Recommendations

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted April 6, 2012 by Ray Walser, Ph.D. U.S.–Brazil Summit: Time for a Bold Policy Vision

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted March 7, 2012 by Derek Scissors, Ph.D. Strengthening U.S.–Indonesia Economic Relations

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted February 23, 2012 by Nicolas Loris High Gas Prices: Obama's Half-Truths vs. Reality

    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…

  • Special Report posted February 17, 2012 by The Heritage Foundation Economic Freedom Task Force America’s Global Agenda for Economic Freedom

    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…

Find more work on Trade
Find more work on Trade