AAEA Economist: President Trump’s Policies Could Lead to Trade Trouble

NAFTA negotiations and TPP pullout under the microscope at ASSA Annual Meeting

Two huge events in the past two years have led to global concern when it comes to trade: the BREXIT vote and Donald Trump becoming President of the United States.

While the impact of the United Kingdom backing away from the European Union is still being worked out, President Trump has already pulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and negotiations are underway that could lead to the country to back out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

These deals have trade economists looking into all of the potential effects for consumers and producers in the U.S. and world economies. Dr. Ian Sheldon of The Ohio State University will lead an AAEA session on trade at the 2018 Allied Social Sciences Associations (ASSA) Annual Meeting, January 5-7, 2018, in Philadelphia.

“What happens if (the United States) pulls out of NAFTA,” Sheldon says, “especially when it comes to consumers and ag producers both inside and outside North America. It’s really puzzling to (trade economists) what the administration’s position is. They talk about bringing jobs back to the U.S. but they are doing things with trade that could do the opposite.”

The session, “Trade in an Environment of Increasing Economic Nationalism,” will take place Saturday, January 6, 2018, at 2:30 pm at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel (1200 Market Street). It features the following topics and authors:

• “Trade Liberalization and Institutional Constraints on Moves to Protectionism: Multilateralism Versus Regionalism”: Ian Sheldon, The Ohio State University
• “North American Production and Trade Patterns in the Absence of NAFTA”: Keri E.R. Heerman, USDA Economic Research Service
• “Evaluating the Economic Impact of Brexit: ‘Fear-Mongering’ or Just a Matter of Degrees”: Steve McCorriston, University of Exeter
• “The Road Not Taken: Agricultural Trade Without the GATT/WTO”: Jason Grant, Virginia Tech University

If you are interested in attending the session or setting up an interview, please contact Jay Saunders in the AAEA Business Office.

ABOUT AAEA: Established in 1910, the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) is the leading professional association for agricultural and applied economists, with 2,500 members in more than 20 countries. Members of the AAEA work in academic or government institutions as well as in industry and not-for-profit organizations, and engage in a variety of research, teaching, and outreach activities in the areas of agriculture, the environment, food, health, and international development. The AAEA publishes two journals, the American Journal of Agricultural Economics and Applied Economic Perspectives & Policy, as well as the online magazine Choices. To learn more, visit www.aaea.org.

Contact: Allison Scheetz
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Email: ascheetz@aaea.org