Sidney Weintraub
Issues in International Political Economy - The Power of Special Interests in the United States
Center for Strategic and International Studies – Newsletter - Number 97 - January 2008 – 2 pages
http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/issues200801.pdf
“A “special interest” as used in this paper could be a single person or a relatively small group of people who seek to influence public policy decisions to obtain a larger share of economic benefits or political influence than they otherwise would have. By definition, this must come at the expense of the rest of society. Mancur Olson, who wrote much on the economic aspects of this theme about two decades ago, pointed out that it is always difficult and sometimes impossible for the average citizen to monitor what is taking place until it becomes a fait accompli. This paper discusses the fact that the adverse consequences of special-interest actions are now more substantial than in the past. U.S income inequality has increased during the past four decades, and special interests contributed to this outcome.”
Lael Brainard Candidate Issue Index: Trade
The Brookings Institution – Opportunity 2008 – January 17, 2008 – 5 pages
“Compiled by Brookings Institution experts, this chart is part of a series of issue indices to be published during the 2008 Presidential election cycle. The policy issues included in this series were chosen by Brookings staff and represent the most critical topics facing America’s next President.”
Robert Z. Lawrence
Blue-Collar Blues: Is Trade to Blame for Rising US Income Inequality?
Peterson Institute for International Economics – Book – January 2008 – 144 pages
http://bookstore.petersoninstitute.org/book-store/4143.html
“International trade accounts for only a small share of growing income inequality and labor-market displacement in the United States. Lawrence deconstructs the gap in real blue-collar wages and labor productivity growth between 1981 and 2006 and estimates how much higher these wages might have been had income growth been distributed proportionately and how much of the gap is due to measurement and technical factors about which little can be done.”
Howard Rosen Strengthening Trade Adjustment Assistance
Peterson Institute – Policy Brief – January 2008 – 11 pages
http://www.petersoninstitute.org/publications/pb/pb08-2.pdf
“The US economy is currently facing significant pressures from intensified domestic and international competition. There is no “magic bullet” to deal with the pressures from globalization. More worker training alone will not be sufficient to address the large adjustment burden placed on workers and their families. A comprehensive set of integrated efforts is necessary to help the economy adjust to the enormous pressures from globalization. These efforts should not be handouts, but rather targeted, yet flexible assistance aimed at raising productivity and enhancing US competitiveness.”
Loren Yager
Export Promotion: Export-Import Bank Has Met Target for Small Business Financing Share
US Government Accountability Office - GAO-08-419T - January 17, 2008 – 17 pages
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-419T
“The Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) provides loans, loan guarantees, and insurance to support U.S. exports. Its level of support for small business has been a long-standing issue of congressional interest. In 2002, Congress increased the proportion of financing Ex-Im must make available for small business to 20 percent. In 2006, Congress directed Ex-Im to make organizational changes related to small business and to better evaluate its small business efforts. This report discusses (1) trends in Ex-Im’s small business financing since fiscal year 2000 and (2) the weaknesses GAO found in the tracking and reporting of Ex-Im’s small business financing and the steps Ex-Im has taken to address them.”
Shayerah Ilias & Ian Fergusson
Intellectual Property Rights and International Trade
Library of Congress - Congressional Research Service (CRS) - December 20, 2007 – 52 pages
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34292_20071220.pdf
“This report provides background on intellectual property rights (IPR) and discusses the role of U.S. international trade policy in enhancing IPR protection and enforcement abroad. IPR are legal rights granted by governments to encourage innovation and creative output by ensuring that creators reap the benefits of their inventions or works and they may take the form of patents, trade secrets, copyrights, trademarks, or geographical indications. U.S. industries that rely on IPR contribute significantly to U.S. economic growth, employment, and trade with other countries. Counterfeiting and piracy in other countries may result in the loss of billions of dollars of revenue for U.S. firms as well as the loss of jobs.”
Economic Sanctions: Agencies Face Competing Priorities in Enforcing the U.S. Embargo on Cuba
U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) - GAO-08-80 - December 18, 2007 – 96 pages
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0880.pdf
“In 2001, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) loosened embargo restrictions on some trade with Cuba. In 2004, however, OFAC tightened rules on travel, cash transfers, and gift parcels to Cuba. BIS, on the other hand, processed twice as many export license applications to Cuba in 2006 than in 2001. GAO was asked to examine rule changes and their impact on U.S. exports, travel, cash transfers, and gift parcels from 2001 to 2005.”
U.S. Clothing Imports from Vietnam: Trade Policies and Performance
US Congress Library - Congressional Research Service - RL34262 - November 27, 2007 – 40 pages http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34262_20071127.pdf
“U.S. clothing imports from Vietnam grew from nothing in 2000 to $3.2 billion in 2006. Vietnam is now the fifth largest source of clothing imports to the U.S. Much of this trade is due to liberal U.S. trade policies with Vietnam, but these policies have raised concerns about possible dumping by Vietnamese clothing exporters. This report looks at the Department of Commerce’s monitoring program and antidumping actions Congress could take.”
Wing Thye Woo and Geng Xiao
Disputes: China’s Post-WTO Blues
The Brookings Institution – Report - November 2007 – 32 pages
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2007/11_trade_woo/11_trade_woo.pdf
“In present-day political and policy discussions in Washington, widespread concern is shared over the large and growing U.S.-China trade deficit… More specifically, at the very base of these concerns lies the view that the large trade deficit has reduced U.S. welfare by increasing unemployment and reducing wages. Yet is this an accurate representation of the affect of current trade patterns with China on the U.S. economy? In order to determine the answer, in this paper we examine some of the economic issues associated with the large overall U.S. trade deficit (which, in 2006, was three and a half times larger than the bilateral U.S.-China trade deficit), and some of policy options in reducing U.S.-China economic tensions by posing and answering four critical questions.”
AID – DEVELOPMENT
Mauro De Lorenzo & Apoorva Shah
Entrepreneurial Philanthropy in the Developing World: A New Face for America, a Challenge to Foreign Aid
American Enterprise Institute - Development Policy Outlook - December 12, 2007
http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.27220/pub_detail.asp
“Philanthropy is usually considered a form of humanitarianism not a driver of economic growth. This paper examines the “entrepreneurial philanthropists” who provide credit and business education to small-scale entrepreneurs, mentor and finance small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), offer advice to governments to improve competitiveness, and devise ways to get a “return on investment” in philanthropic projects.”
