Economists disagree on whether recent US trade policies are harmful or helpful, but they all agree that there is a trend towards focusing on results-oriented policies in specific markets and with particular trading markets. These 12 essays explore crucial issues in US trade policy, examining topics such as the markets for automobiles and automobile parts in the USA and Japan, and the US response to "unfair" trading practices, such as dumping, and the effects of industry- and country-specific policies. Examples include high-technology and agricultural industries and offshore assembly in US border cities. The volume concludes that some policies can act to both protect imports and promote exports; that the threat of protectionist policies can often have effects that are as pronounced as their implementation; and that regulatory policy has as great an impact on trade and investment patterns as does trade policy itself.
