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Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioPath to Prosperity

Roger C. Altman, Jason E. Bordoff, Jason Furman and Robert E. Rubin, November 06, 2008, Hamilton Project Discussion Paper

Today, too many Americans are not fully sharing in our nation’s prosperity. Real median wages have stagnated, income inequality has increased, and changes in the economy that have brought benefits have also brought new risks and insecurities. In response to these challenges, our nation needs to act now on three fronts. First, our nation must make the right long-term investments to promote economic growth that is both strong and sustainable. Second, it is necessary to put in place economic policies that will better achieve broad-based participation in that growth. Third, for growth to be sustainable, it is necessary to restore sound fiscal policy, moving on a multiyear path to a sustainable fiscal position. This paper elaborates on these economic challenges. Read More

Economic Mobility, Global Economics, U.S. Economy, U.S. Economic Growth, U.S. Department of the Treasury

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioTop 10 Global Economic Challenges Facing America's 44th President

October 10, 2008, The Brookings Institution

Top 10 Global Economic Challenges Facing America's 44th PresidentAs President-Elect Obama prepares to lead the United States, what are the top global economic challenges facing the new president and his advisors and how should the new administration address them? A new report by Brookings global economic and development experts ranks the top 10 issues and details specific ideas for how to tackle the toughest challenges. Read More

Global Economics, Development, Global Poverty, Globalization, Emerging Markets

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioWhy the Discomfort Over Free Trade

Kevin Casas-Zamora, September 12, 2008, YaleGlobal

Kevin Casas-Zamora argues that if free trade is to succeed, advocates must address the real problems trade liberalization creates for many in the developing world. Developing nations, now increasingly important actors in the global economy, likewise deserve a larger role in governing the system of global trade. Read More

Trade, Development, Developing Countries, Latin America, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioCan America Still Lead in the Global Economy?

Lael Brainard and David Lipton, August 31, 2008, The Brookings Institution

Can America Still Lead in the Global Economy?The need for U.S. economic leadership continues despite a global financial crisis, and new and emerging economic powers. But while the need for U.S. leadership in the global economy is clear, the capacity is less so. In a paper prepared for the Aspen Strategy Group in August 2008, Lael Brainard and David Lipton explore the changing context for US international economic leadership, review economic goals, and discuss the adequacy of the instruments available for pursuing those goals. Read More

U.S. Economy, Competitiveness, Global Economics, Global Financial Crisis, Financial Markets

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioDoha: The Last Mile

Jagdish Bhagwati and Arvind Panagariya, August 21, 2008, The New York Sun

Doha: The Last MileArvind Panagariya, a nonresident senior fellow in Brookings's Global Economy and Development program, and Jagdish Bhagwati, an economics professor at Columbia University, discuss issues surrounding the recent collapse of the Doha Round and the strides WTO director general Pascal Lamy is taking to salvage a successful trade deal. Read More

Trade, World Trade Organization, Global Economics, U.S. Economy, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioTrade Pacts Run Amok

Paul Blustein, August 20, 2008, World Policy Journal, Volume 23, Issue 2

Trade Pacts Run AmokIn a recent World Policy Journal article, Paul Blustein, Journalist-in-Residence in Global Economy and Development, questions the merits of free trade agreements and the motivations behind them. Read More

Trade, U.S. Politics, Global Economics, U.S. Economy, World Trade Organization

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioDoha Trade Talks Collapse: What’s Next for Global Trade?

Paul Blustein, August 20, 2008, The Brookings Institution

Doha Trade Talks Collapse: What’s Next for Global Trade?Negotiations in the Doha Round of global trade talks broke down July 29 at the World Trade Organization’s headquarters in Geneva. Paul Blustein discusses the WTO’s centrality to the global trading system, warns that erosion of its authority would endanger the system’s stability, and challenges the United States to halt the pursuit of further bilateral and regional trade agreements, as those pacts threaten to undermine multilateralism. Read More

Trade, World Trade Organization, Global Economics, U.S. Economy, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioClimate Change, Trade and Competitiveness: Is a Collision Inevitable?

Monday, June 09, 2008
8:15 AM to 6:00 PM
Washington, DC

Reuters/Yuriko NakaoOn June 9, 2008, Brookings convened more than 70 stakeholders for a conference on “Climate Change, Trade and Competitiveness.” The conference was led by Lael Brainard and focused on how climate change presents a new set of challenges for the world trading system and potential strategies to mitigate future conflicts. Read More

Climate Change, Trade, Competitiveness, Energy Security, Climate and Energy Economics

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioAmerica's Trade Agenda: Examining the Trade Enforcement Act of 2007

Lael Brainard, May 22, 2008, Senate Committee on Finance

America's Trade Agenda: Examining the Trade Enforcement Act of 2007In testimony to the Senate Finance Committee, Lael Brainard discussed America’s response to globalization through the lens of trade policies and examines how provisions of the Trade Enforcement Act of 2007 can help America compete more fairly in the growing global marketplace that requires clearly enforced rules. Read More

Trade, Competitiveness, U.S. Economy, U.S. Economic Growth, Globalization

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioImplications of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement

Monday, May 12, 2008
3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Washington, DC

Ralph AlswangLast month, President Bush submitted the Colombia free-trade agreement to Congress, but leaders in the House of Representatives have delayed a vote on ratification. Brookings hosted Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senator Kit Bond (R-Mo.) for a discussion of the economic and national security implications of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Read More

Trade, Colombia, Latin America, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioShowdown on U.S.-Colombia FTA

Paul Blustein, April 09, 2008, The Brookings Institution

Showdown on U.S.-Colombia FTAA blend of policy, process and politics may doom the free trade agreement between the United States and Colombia. Paul Blustein argues that President Bush's difficulty persuading Congress to ratify the pact may finally teach trade negotiators that bilateral trade agreements can be a lot more trouble than they’re worth. Read More

Trade, World Trade Organization, U.S. Politics, Colombia, Global Economics

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioU.S. Trade Policy and Small Business

Lael Brainard, June 13, 2007, House Committee on Small Business

Testimony by Lael Brainard before the U.S. House Committee on Small Business (6/13/07) Read More

Competitiveness, Trade, Business, Globalization, U.S. Economy

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioNavigating China's Rise: Develop a Sustained, High-Level Trade Strategy

Lael Brainard and Wing Thye Woo, February 28, 2007, Opportunity 08

Navigating China's Rise: Develop a Sustained, High-Level Trade StrategyChina’s growth in economic and military power has presented both challenges and opportunities to U.S.-China relations and to the global economy. In an Opportunity 08 paper, Lael Brainard and Wing Thye Woo examine five elements to a successful approach to trade with China. Read More

Trade, China, Competitiveness, BRICs, China's Economy

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioContending with the Rise of China: Build on Three Decades of Progress

Jeffrey A. Bader and Richard C. Bush III, February 28, 2007, Opportunity 08

Contending with the Rise of China: Build on Three Decades of ProgressThe next President should embrace the strategy of engagement initiated by President Nixon and sustained by all his successors to date. Presidential candidates should avoid tendentious condemnations of China and instead signal their intention to develop a personal relationship of trust with their Chinese counterpart soon after taking office. Read More

China, U.S. Politics, Asia, Elections, Politics

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioTackling Trade and Climate Change: Leadership on the Home Front of Foreign Policy

Strobe Talbott and William J. Antholis, February 01, 2007, Opportunity 08

Tackling Trade and Climate Change: Leadership on the Home Front of Foreign PolicyFor the next President, effective leadership abroad will depend largely on marshalling bipartisan support for foreign policy at home. Combating terrorism, constricting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, reducing global poverty, promoting an efficient, equitable world trading system, and reversing the process of climate change are all issues that require far more effective diplomacy and skillful management of U.S. domestic politics. Read More

Trade, Climate Change, Foreign Policy, Environment, Energy Security

In Brief

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), part of the Executive Office of the President, is responsible for developing and coordinating U.S. international trade, commodity, and direct investment policy, plus overseeing negotiations with other countries.

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Featured Experts

William Antholis

William J. Antholis

Managing Director, The Brookings Institution

William Antholis is managing director of the Brookings Institution and a senior fellow in Governance Studies. He also directs the Brookings Mountain West Initiative with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Antholis has worked on foreign security and economic policy at the National Security Council and the State Department, and was director of studies at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Read More

Paul Blustein

Paul Blustein

Journalist in Residence, Global Economy and Development

Paul Blustein, who focuses on trade, the IMF and World Bank, is writing a book about the World Trade Organization. As a former staff writer at the Washington Post, he covered economic policy and related issues and served as Asian economics correspondent in Tokyo for five years.
Read More

Wing Thye Woo

Wing Thye Woo

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Global Economy and Development
New Century Chair in International Trade and Economics

Wing Thye Woo is an expert on the East Asian economies, particularly China, Indonesia and Malaysia. He has advised the U.S. Treasury Department, the IMF, World Bank and the United Nations. He specializes in exchange rates, economic growth, regional economic disparity and financial sector development.
Read More

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Spotlight

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Vanda Felbab-Brown focuses on the national security implications of illicit economies and strategies for managing them. She is an adjunct professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

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Research ProjectLatin America Initiative

The Latin America Initiative provides high-quality, in-depth, and independent research across a range of economic and political issues, and offers policy recommendations aimed at U.S. and Latin American policymakers.

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A nationally known budget expert, Isabel Sawhill focuses on domestic poverty and federal fiscal policy. She is also co-director of the Center on Children and Families at Brookings.

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