Congressional Research Service Reports - 161 Matching Results

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China's Currency: Economic Issues and Options for U.S. Trade Policy

Description: This report starts out by describing China's policy of pegging its currency to the U.S. dollar at an exchange rate of roughly 8.28 yuan to the dollar. As a result, the exchange rate between the yuan and the dollar basically stayed the same. The report discusses most significant events concerning China's currency policy and its impact on U.S. trade deficit.
Date: May 22, 2008
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M. & Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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International Trade: Rules of Origin

Description: This report deals with rules of origin (ROO) in three parts. First, we describe in more detail the reasons that country of origin rules are important and briefly describe U.S. laws and methods that provide direction in making these determinations. Second, we discuss briefly some of the more controversial issues involving rules of origin, including the apparently subjective nature of some CBP origin determinations, and the effects of the global manufacturing process on ROO. Third, we conclude wi… more
Date: August 22, 2008
Creator: Jones, Vivian C. & Martin, Michael F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. International Trade: Trends and Forecasts

Description: This report provides an overview of the current status, trends, and forecasts for U.S. international trade. The purpose of this report is to provide current data and brief explanations for the various types of trade flows, particularly U.S. exports, along with a short discussion of particular trends and points of contention related to trade policy.
Date: September 5, 2008
Creator: Nanto, Dick K.; Ilias, Shayerah & Donnelly, J. Michael
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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A Free Trade Area of the Americas: Major Policy Issue and Status of Negotiations

Description: In 1994, 34 Western Hemisphere nations met at the first Summit of the Americas, envisioning a plan to complete a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) by January 1, 2005. Faced with deadlocked negotiations, the United States and Brazil, the FTAA co-chairs, brokered a compromise at the November 2003 Miami trade ministerial. It moved the FTAA away from the comprehensive, single undertaking principle, toward a two-tier framework comprising a set of "common rights and obligations" for all countrie… more
Date: July 15, 2008
Creator: Hornbeck, J. F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trade Negotiations During the 110th Congress

Description: This report discusses the trade negotiations during Bush Administration, which has made bilateral and regional free-trade agreements (FTAs) an important element of U.S. trade policy, a strategy known as “competitive liberalization.”
Date: January 8, 2008
Creator: Fergusson, Ian F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

International Trade: Rules of Origin

Description: "This report deals with rules of origin (ROO) used to determine the country of origin of merchandise entering the U.S. market, in three parts. First, [it] describe in more detail the reasons that country of origin rules are important and briefly describe U.S. laws and methods that provide direction in making these determinations. Second, [the report] discuss briefly some of the more controversial issues involving rules of origin, including the apparently subjective nature of some U.S. Customs a… more
Date: June 10, 2008
Creator: Jones, Vivian C. & Martin, Michael F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Proposed U.S.-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement

Description: This report addresses the proposed U.S.-Malaysia free trade agreement (FTA). It provides a brief overview of the Malaysian economy, a review of U.S. interests in the proposed agreement, an examination of possible issues likely to arise during the negotiations, a comparison of tariff rates between the two countries, legislative procedures, and an appendix with a brief chronology and trade data — including U.S. exports and imports to Malaysia by sector and exports to Malaysia by state.
Date: January 25, 2008
Creator: Martin, Michael F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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World Trade Organization Negotiations: The Doha Development Agenda

Description: This report discusses the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations, begun in November 2001, which has entered its 11th year. It includes background on Doha and the significance of the negotiations, as well as a breakdown of issues on the Doha agenda and the role of the Congress.
Date: August 18, 2008
Creator: Fergusson, Ian F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The World Trade Organization: The Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) Negotiations

Description: This report looks at the evolution of the Doha Round World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, possible effects of the Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) agreement, and major negotiating issues from a U.S. standpoint. NAMA refers to the cutting of tariff and non-tariff barriers (NTB) on industrial and primary products, basically all trade in goods which are not foodstuffs.
Date: August 19, 2008
Creator: Fergusson, Ian F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trade in Services: The Doha Development Agenda Negotiations and U.S Goals

Description: This report is designed to assist Congress to understand and monitor progress of the negotiations and the major issues that the negotiators are addressing. The report provides a brief background section on the significance of services to the U.S. economy. It then explains briefly the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and the structure and agenda of the services negotiations in the DDA round, including U.S. objectives in the negotiations. The report concludes with a status report on … more
Date: January 24, 2008
Creator: Cooper, William H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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WTO Decisions and Their Effect in U.S. Law

Description: Congress has comprehensively dealt with the legal effect of World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements and dispute settlement results in the United States in the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA), P.L. 103-465, which provides that domestic law prevails over conflicting provisions of WTO agreements and prohibits private remedies based on alleged violations of these agreements. This report analyzes the URAA in detail and outlines various WTO decisions and their effect on U.S. trade law and polic… more
Date: July 28, 2008
Creator: Grimmett, Jeanne J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Generalized System of Preferences: Background and Renewal Debate

Description: This report presents, first, a brief history, economic rationale, and legal background leading to the establishment of the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, which provides non-reciprocal, duty-free tariff treatment to certain products imported from designated beneficiary developing countries (BDC's). A brief comparison of GSP programs worldwide, especially as they compare to the U.S. system, is also presented. Second, the report presents a discussion of U.S. implementation o… more
Date: September 25, 2008
Creator: Jones, Vivian C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Brazil's WTO Case Against the U.S. Cotton Program: A Brief Overview

Description: This report provides a brief overview of Brazil's case against the U.S. cotton program, the evolution and current status of the case, and the potential role for Congress.
Date: June 17, 2008
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The U.S. Trade Situation for Fruit and Vegetable Products

Description: This report presents recent trends in U.S. fruit and vegetable trade, and highlights some of the factors contributing to these trends. This summary excludes trade data for tree nuts and processed tree nut products. Although not presented here, U.S. exports and imports of tree nuts and processed tree nut products (excluding peanuts) have shown continued increases, with a growing trade surplus of $1.8 billion in 2006.
Date: April 30, 2008
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones: Trade Agreement Parity (TAP) Proposal

Description: This report provides an introduction to U.S. Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ). The report discusses the details of the Trade Agreement Parity (TAP) proposal, the potential winners and losers under the TAP proposal, economic studies on the TAP proposal, and policy analysis on the TAP proposal.
Date: September 29, 2008
Creator: Bolle, Mary Jane
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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NAFTA and the Mexican Economy

Description: This report provides an overview of Mexico's motivations for entering the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Mexican economy, the economic effects of NAFTA in Mexico, and the views of NAFTA within Mexico. It also provides information on NAFTA's effect on Mexico's agricultural sector because this has been one of the more controversial issues surrounding NAFTA in Mexico.
Date: November 4, 2008
Creator: Villarreal, M. Angeles & Cid, Marisabel
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Future Role of U.S. Trade Policy: An Overview

Description: The United States has become increasingly integrated with the rest of the world economy. This integration has offered benefits and presented challenges to U.S. business, agriculture, labor, and consumers. Those who can compete in the more integrated economy have enjoyed opportunities to broaden their success, while those who are challenged by increased foreign competition have been forced to adjust and some have exited the market or relocated overseas. Some observers contend that, in order to r… more
Date: July 14, 2008
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M. & Cooper, William M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Future Role of U.S. Trade Policy: An Overview

Description: The United States has become increasingly integrated with the rest of the world economy. This integration has offered benefits and presented challenges to U.S. business, agriculture, labor, and consumers. Those who can compete in the more integrated economy have enjoyed opportunities to broaden their success, while those who are challenged by increased foreign competition have been forced to adjust and some have exited the market or relocated overseas. Some observers contend that, in order to r… more
Date: July 24, 2008
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M. & Cooper, William M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

China's Currency: Economic Issues and Options for U.S. Trade Policy

Description: This paper reviews the various economic issues raised by China's present currency policy, including: the economic concerns raised by the United States over China's currency policy and China's concerns over changing that policy; how China's fixed exchange rate regime works and the various economic studies that have attempted to determine China's real, or market, exchange rate; trends and factors in the U.S.-China trade imbalance; economic consequences of China's currency policy for both China an… more
Date: May 22, 2008
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M. & Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S.-Latin America Trade: Recent Trends

Description: After Congress passed Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation in August 2002 (P.L. 107-210), the United States implemented free trade agreements (FTAs) with Chile, the Dominican Republic, the Central American countries, and Peru. The United States has also concluded FTAs with Colombia and Panama, which await congressional action.1 Talks on the region-wide Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), by contrast, have stalled. The 110th Congress may consider implementing legislation for one or bo… more
Date: July 18, 2008
Creator: Hornbeck, J. F. & Cid, Marisabel
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Proposed U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA): Provisions and Implications

Description: This report is designed to assist Members of the 110th Congress as they consider the costs and benefits of the U.S.-South Korean Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA). It examines the provisions KORUS FTA in the context of the overall U.S.-South Korean economic relationship, U.S. objectives, and South Korean objectives.
Date: January 22, 2008
Creator: Cooper, William H.; Manyin, Mark E.; Jones, Vivian C.; Cooney, Stephen & Jurenas, Remy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S. Trade Deficit and the Impact of Rising Oil Prices

Description: This report provides an estimate of the initial impact of the rising oil prices on the nation's merchandise trade deficit.
Date: June 10, 2008
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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