Trade and Development Publications
The Sensitivity of the Soviet Economy to Foreign and Domestic Economic Shocks (1978)
Apr 09, 2013Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; Kennan Institute Occasional Paper Series #37, 1978. PDF 52 pages. more
Mexican Migration to the United States: Underlying Economic Factors and Possible Scenarios for Future Flows
Apr 04, 2013In this report we examine some economic factors that have influenced migration flows from Mexico to the United States, for the purpose of constructing scenarios on how such flows could evolve in the near term. Throughout our analysis, we look at three different periods in the recent history of migration from Mexico to the United States: 1990 to 2000; 2000 to 20007; and a third period corresponding to the global economic crisis and its aftermath. more
LNG: To export or not to export, that is the question
Mar 15, 2013The U.S. is rapidly moving from being dependent on imported fossil fuels to becoming a major world producer. In addition to our oil and coal, we are sitting on vast supplies of natural gas, and technological innovations have made it possible to tap previously unattainable resources. So what should we do with these new-found riches? more
U.S. Ambassadors to Mexico: The Relationship Through Their Eyes
Feb 26, 2013What emerges in this publication is a nuanced portrait of the individuals who have been tasked with serving as the key link of the U.S. government with Mexico. Dolia Estévez's effort to bring their memories and their perspectives to light helps illuminate a little known part of the political relationship between the two countries. It also chronicles a changing relationship between these countries from "distant neighbors" to "intimate strangers," who are deeply dependent on one another and yet are only still getting to know one another well enough to manage the relationship. more
Trade Negotiators Need to Address Exchange Rate Manipulation
Feb 20, 2013Deliberate manipulation of foreign exchange rates by a number of countries is one of the most egregious of all unfair trade practices today. By maintaining an artificially low exchange rate, a country in effect imposes an extra charge on imports (equivalent to a tariff) and also gains an unfair trade advantage in the U.S. and third country markets. While this practice has long been recognized as unfair, international trade rules have no effective provisions to address this issue. more
Changing Energy: Canada and the United States
Feb 07, 2013Americans are generally surprised to learn that more of the energy that the United States imports comes from Canada than from any other country. Really, you say? The United States imports 2.7 million barrels of crude oil and refined products from Canada every day, representing 24 percent of total petroleum imports—about twice what is imported from Saudi Arabia. more
How Should America Respond to Economic Opportunities in Africa?
Feb 07, 2013U.S. policy toward Africa has been on autopilot for much of the past four years, following a laundry list of good intentions that established priorities for Africa’s well-being and U.S. security interests. However, a truly sustainable and forward-looking U.S. policy toward Africa should refocus attention on Africa’s opportunity as an economic powerhouse of the future, a strategy that combines
both domestic self-interest and an opportunity to help Africa move forward. more
Ripe with Change: Evolving Farm Labor Markets in the United States, Mexico, and Central America
Feb 01, 2013This report contributes to the Regional Migration Study Group's vision for human-capital infrastructure development in the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador by assessing trends in agriculture and their implications for farm labor markets. Such implications include demand for skills and requisite education and workforce development. more
Manufacturing in the United States, Mexico, and Central America: Implications for Competitiveness and Migration
Jan 01, 2013The economies of Mexico, and to a lesser extent, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, have benefited from aggressive manufacturing-attraction strategies. At the same time, the achievements of the maquiladora development strategy have masked important flaws that threaten to stymie the promise of even greater economic growth. more
