Page 126 - Economics

CONFIRMING PAGES

CHAPTER 5
97
The United States in the Global Economy
Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act rules that in the past impeded the global market for such
The Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934 started services as advertising, legal services, tourist services, and
the downward trend of tariffs. Aimed at reducing tariffs, financial services. Quotas on imported textiles and apparel
this act had two main features: were phased out and replaced with tariffs. Other provisions
• Negotiating authority It authorized the president to reduced agricultural subsidies paid to farmers and protected
negotiate with foreign nations agreements that intellectual property (patents, trademarks, copyrights)
would reduce existing U.S. tariffs by up to 50 per- against piracy.
cent. Those reductions were contingent on the
actions other nations took to lower tariffs on U.S. World Trade Organization
exports. The Uruguay Round agreement established the World
• Generalized reductions The specific tariff reduc- Trade Organization (WTO) as GATT’s successor. Some
tions negotiated between the United States and any 149 nations belong to the WTO, with China being one of
particular nation were generalized through most- the latest entrants. The WTO oversees trade agreements
favored-nation clauses , which often accompany reached by the member nations and rules on trade dis-
such agreements. These clauses stipulate that any putes among them. It also provides forums for further
subsequently reduced U.S. tariffs, resulting from rounds of trade negotiations. The ninth and latest round
negotiation with any other nation, would apply of negotiations—the Doha Round —was launched in
equally to any nation that signed the original agree- Doha, Qatar, in late 2001. (The trade rounds occur over
ment. So if the United States negotiates a reduction several years in several venues but are named after the
in tariffs on wristwatches with, say, France, the lower city or country of origination.) The negotiations are
U.S. tariffs on imported French watches also apply aimed at further reducing tariffs and quotas, as well as ag-
to the imports of the other nations having most- ricultural subsidies that distort trade. One of this chapter’s
favored-nation status, say, Japan and Switzerland. Web-based questions asks you to update the progress of
This way, the reductions in U.S. tariffs automatically the Doha Round.
apply to many nations. GATT and the WTO have been positive forces in the
trend toward liberalized world trade. The trade rules
agreed upon by the member nations provide a strong and
General Agreement on Tariffs necessary bulwark against the protectionism called for by
and Trade the special-interest groups in the various nations.
The Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act provided only bi- For that reason and others, the WTO is controversial.
lateral (between two nations) negotiations. Its approach Critics are concerned that rules crafted to expand interna-
was broadened in 1947 when 23 nations, including the tional trade and investment enable firms to circumvent
United States, signed the General Agreement on national laws that protect workers and the environment.
Tariffs and Trade (GATT) . GATT was based on three What good are minimum-wage laws, worker safety laws,
principles: (1) equal, nondiscriminatory trade treatment collective bargaining rights, and environmental laws if
for all member nations, (2) the reduction of tariffs by firms can easily shift their production to nations that have
multilateral negotiation, and (3) the elimination of im- weaker laws or consumers can buy goods produced in
port quotas. Basically, GATT provided a forum for the those countries?
negotiation of reduced trade barriers on a multilateral Proponents of the WTO respond that labor and
basis among nations. environmental protections should be pursued directly in
Since the Second World War, member nations have nations that have low standards and via international
completed eight “rounds” of GATT negotiations to re- organizations other than the WTO. These issues should
duce trade barriers. The eighth round of negotiations be- not be linked to the process of trade liberalization, which
gan in Uruguay in 1986. After 7 years of complex confers widespread economic benefits across nations.
discussions, in 1993 the 128 member nations reached a Moreover, say proponents of the WTO, many environ-
new agreement. The Uruguay Round agreement took ef- mental and labor concerns are greatly overblown. Most
fect on January 1, 1995, and its provisions were phased in world trade is among advanced industrial countries, not
through 2005. between them and countries that have lower environmen-
Under this agreement, tariffs on thousands of products tal and labor standards. Moreover, the free flow of goods
were eliminated or reduced, with overall tariffs dropping by and resources raises output and income in the developing
33 percent. The agreement also liberalized government nations. Historically, such increases in living standards

mcc26632_ch05_084_103.indd 97 8/21/06 4:25:55 PM
8/21/06 4:25:55 PM
mcc26632_ch05_084_103.indd 97