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HLIGHT South China Business Journal
OtrnagdoeiinngtdheebaUtneiotendfSrteaetes
I. OVERVIEW contenders and down ballot House and II. The United States,
Senate candidates on both sides of the
Since 2000, the United States has entered aisle have tapped into corresponding voter Free Trade, and Election
into major trade agreements with nearly anxieties and modeled their campaign 2016
20 countries spread out across Central messages accordingly in bids to secure
and South America, Asia, and the Middle their party’s respective nomination. This A. Free Trade and the Economy
East. This dramatic shift towards trade has, among other outcomes, lead to the
expansion can be explained both on politicization of free trade and thrust the Before assessing the impact of free trade
economic and foreign policy grounds. On issue to the forefront of the debate. on the U.S. economy, it is worth looking
the economic front, trade liberalization
has opened new markets and allowed Gains from Trade Across the Income Distribution
American exporters to sell more U.S.
goods abroad than ever before. In turn,
increased imports into the U.S. have
raised the overall standard of living for
consumers, who are afforded more choices
at lower prices. From a foreign policy
perspective, bilateral and/or multilateral
trade agreements have and continue to
be used by U.S. policymakers as a “soft”
form of diplomacy to export American
standards and values abroad to countries
not sharing as stringent regulatory
requirements protecting consumers,
workers and the environment.
Despite nearly 40 years of commitment Stock of Real U.S. FDI Abroad
to trade liberalization, free trade has
emerged as a contentious topic of debate
on both sides of the political spectrum this
election cycle. Much of the focus on trade
can be attributed to voter unease over the
state of the U.S. economy combined with
presidential election year politics. More
specifically, polling shows that Americans
are deeply concerned about the direction
of the country and the pace of economic
recovery. These sentiments are buttressed
by data illustrating that many rank-
and-file Americans are still struggling to
recover from the 2008 recession, while
Wall Street and corporate America are
recording near record profits. Presidential
8
OtrnagdoeiinngtdheebaUtneiotendfSrteaetes
I. OVERVIEW contenders and down ballot House and II. The United States,
Senate candidates on both sides of the
Since 2000, the United States has entered aisle have tapped into corresponding voter Free Trade, and Election
into major trade agreements with nearly anxieties and modeled their campaign 2016
20 countries spread out across Central messages accordingly in bids to secure
and South America, Asia, and the Middle their party’s respective nomination. This A. Free Trade and the Economy
East. This dramatic shift towards trade has, among other outcomes, lead to the
expansion can be explained both on politicization of free trade and thrust the Before assessing the impact of free trade
economic and foreign policy grounds. On issue to the forefront of the debate. on the U.S. economy, it is worth looking
the economic front, trade liberalization
has opened new markets and allowed Gains from Trade Across the Income Distribution
American exporters to sell more U.S.
goods abroad than ever before. In turn,
increased imports into the U.S. have
raised the overall standard of living for
consumers, who are afforded more choices
at lower prices. From a foreign policy
perspective, bilateral and/or multilateral
trade agreements have and continue to
be used by U.S. policymakers as a “soft”
form of diplomacy to export American
standards and values abroad to countries
not sharing as stringent regulatory
requirements protecting consumers,
workers and the environment.
Despite nearly 40 years of commitment Stock of Real U.S. FDI Abroad
to trade liberalization, free trade has
emerged as a contentious topic of debate
on both sides of the political spectrum this
election cycle. Much of the focus on trade
can be attributed to voter unease over the
state of the U.S. economy combined with
presidential election year politics. More
specifically, polling shows that Americans
are deeply concerned about the direction
of the country and the pace of economic
recovery. These sentiments are buttressed
by data illustrating that many rank-
and-file Americans are still struggling to
recover from the 2008 recession, while
Wall Street and corporate America are
recording near record profits. Presidential
8
