Studies Reveal Consensus: Trade Flows during “Free Trade” Era Have Exacerbated Income Inequality

[G_j]

http://www.citizen.org/documents/memo-trade-and-us-income-inequality.pdf

Studies Reveal Consensus: Trade Flows during “Free
Trade” Era Have Exacerbated U.S. Income Inequality

Recent Studies: Trade’s Contribution to Inequality
Has Increased since the 1990s and Is Likely to Increase Further

Since 1941 standard economic theory has held that trade liberalization will contribute to greater
income inequality in developed countries like the United States. In the early 1990s, as U.S.
income inequality soared amid the enactment of U.S. “free trade” deals, a spate of economic
studies put the theory to the test, aiming to determine the relative contribution of trade flows to
the rise in U.S. income inequality. The result was an academic consensus that trade flows
had, in fact, contributed to rising U.S. income inequality. The only debate was the extent of
the blame to be placed on trade, with most studies estimating that between 10 and 40 percent
of the rise in inequality during the 1980s and early 1990s stemmed from trade flows, as indicated
in the table below.

http://www.citizen.org/documents/memo-trade-and-us-income-inequality.pdf

[99th_Monkey]

1. No Duh.

Tell me again why any sane Democrat would support the TPP?

[hifiguy]

5. Bribe$. BIG bribe$

or, more politely, "campaign contributions."

[99th_Monkey]

7. Oh yah. That.

I keep forgetting how screwed we actually are.

[Kelvin Mace]

2. File under: DUH!

[G_j]

3. K

[hifiguy]

4. In other words, they have done exactly

what they were intended to do by those who dreamed them up.

Water = wet
Dog = bark
Cat = meow

Whatta surprise!!!

[annabanana]

6. "Free Trade" is only free capital.

The labor part of the equation is just SOL.

[Populist_Prole]

10. Good summation

It's what it comes down to in fewest words.

Ivory tower types will wrap in "let's all be a part of the world community" BS in a desperate attempt to sell it to well-heeled social liberals as well.

[ND-Dem]

12. +100

[Omaha Steve]

8. Some of us have known for years

Great post!

K&R.

OS

[woo me with science]

9. kick

[ND-Dem]

11. kr