NAFTA - Retrospect and prospect

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject Economics - Foreign Trade Theory, Trade Policy, grade: 1.0 (A), Hawai'i Pacific University (-), course: MBA-Program (Vorlesung), language: English, abstract: To comprehend what is driving U.S. trade and investment policy requires an understanding of simultaneous developments occurring in investment, production, and trade. World exports grew more during the past decade than world production, indicating increased international interdependence. The growth in trade was made possible by improvements in transportation and communication networks, but also by the steady reduction of trade barriers. On January 1, 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into effect among Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The agreement provides a detailed framework for the conduct of trade among the three countries. But its objectives are much more expansive than trade alone: The agreement is designed to remove barriers to investment among the three countries, permit the free flow of services, and enable expeditious settlement of trade disputes. NAFTA is an economic agreement that should influence where and how goods are produced and how services are provided in North America. NAFTA should have a positive effect on income and employment in each of the three member countries. These effects should be greatest in Mexico, the least developed of the three.