The ‘Greening’ of Trade Agreements: Environmental ‘Window Dressing’ and NAFTA

Abstract

Historically the public debate surrounding trade policy has boiled down to a discussion about jobs. Trade advocates have argued that increased trade in U.S. goods creates jobs for U.S. workers. Organized labor has argued that trade agreements pit higher-paid U.S. workers against lower-paid workers from developing countries. The resulting trade policy has been based less upon available statistical evidence than on the ability of interest groups to influence the political process surrounding negotiations.