Bryan Riley

Bryan Riley

Former Jay Van Andel Senior Policy Analyst in Trade Policy, Center for International Trade and Economics

Bryan served as an advocate for free trade through his research at The Heritage Foundation.

Request an Interview With A Heritage Expert

Thank you for contacting us!

We have received your message and are happy to help you with your inquiry. You will receive a response within 48 hours.

This expert is no longer a staff member at The Heritage Foundation.

Bryan Riley served as a full-time advocate for free trade through his research and writing for The Heritage Foundation. He brought years of experience in trade and economic issues to his role as the Jay Van Andel senior analyst in trade policy.

While working in Heritage’s Center for International Trade and Economics, Riley contributed to the influential Index of Economic Freedom, which the think tank publishes annually in partnership with The Wall Street Journal. The 2011 edition measured 183 countries across 10 specific factors of economic freedom: The higher the score, the lower the level of government interference.

Canada retained its top ranking for economic freedom among North American nations measured in 2010, moving up one slot in the world rankings to sixth. The United States continued to lose ground with a ninth-place finish. The U.S. score of 77.8 was down 0.2 points—largely the result of big government spending increases and passage of a restrictive health care law. In the 2010 Index, the United States dropped from the ranks of economically “free” nations into the “mostly free” category.

Riley’s background includes management of grassroots campaigns in support of trade pacts such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, popularly known as NAFTA. When minivans became popular in the 1990s, for example, he helped defeat efforts to reclassify them as “cargo vehicles” instead of “passenger vehicles.” The “cargo” label would have subjected minivans and SUVs to an import tax of 25 percent.

Riley, who joined Heritage in 2010, especially enjoys serving as a myth-buster who counters inaccurate, misleading misinformation that hoodwinks the public and undermines free trade.

He grew up in Manhattan, Kansas. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Kansas State University and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Southern California. He currently resides in Washington, D.C., returning to the nation’s capital after several years in Kansas.

Commentary

Commentary

9 Ideas for Negotiating a Better NAFTA Bryan Riley

Nov 15, 2017 4 min read

Commentary

Should President Trump Scrap NAFTA? No. Bryan Riley

Nov 13, 2017 3 min read

Commentary

NAFTA's Good But Could Be Better Bryan Riley

Nov 2, 2017 3 min read

report

Trade and Prosperity in the States: The Case of New York Bryan Riley

Oct 13, 2017 15 min read

report

Trade and Prosperity in the States: The Case of California Bryan Riley

Sep 29, 2017 25 min read

Commentary

Help Wanted at the Bureau of Economic Analysis Bryan Riley

Sep 18, 2017 3 min read