[CTC] Making sense of NAFTA and its Replacement

[Stan Sorscher]

We should switch from incrementalism in trade policy, to a new approach.

Nobel Prize economist Joseph Stiglitz quietly makes that point at the end of the preface to his new book. 
“Incrementalism - minor tweaks to the political and economic system - are inadequate. What are needed are dramatic changes [of the kind called for in this book].” 

Elizabeth Warren and others are very comfortable with much larger role for legitimate public policies. 

This article ran today <http://www.thestand.org/?p=77428> on The Stand, the news web site for the Washington State Labor Council.
http://www.thestand.org/2019/06/making-sense-of-nafta-and-its-replacement/ <http://www.thestand.org/2019/06/making-sense-of-nafta-and-its-replacement/>

Stan Sorscher
stans at speea.org <mailto:stans at speea.org>
206 255 4393



Making sense of NAFTA and its replacement <http://www.thestand.org/2019/06/making-sense-of-nafta-and-its-replacement/>
	We need new economic policies before we can fix trade deals

By STAN SORSCHER

Many of our biggest problems — climate change, growing income inequality, health care, food safety, and workplace safety — are textbook market failures. Neoliberalism responds with its universal prescription — make business succeed and well-being will trickle down to the rest of us. 
NAFTA is a direct reflection of those principles. In free trade orthodoxy, investor interests are more important than public interests. The NAFTA model blurs national identities and national boundaries, devalues the idea of public interest, and merges our domestic economy into the global economy… 

Democracies settle such questions in elections. Candidates for 2020 are just now proposing serious national strategies for the economy and environment. We will see more. Trying to “fix” NAFTA incrementally is futile. First, we need to see national policies that will rebuild our economy, raise living standards, and improve well-being. Then we can write a trade policy to match. 
 <http://www.thestand.org/2018/12/we-dont-feel-better-off-because-were-not/>
Read more. <http://www.thestand.org/2019/06/making-sense-of-nafta-and-its-replacement/>
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