David M. Gould, Roy J. Ruffin, and Graeme L. Woodbridge argue that free trade is supported both by economic principles and evidence from countries that have followed open market policies. The authors demonstrate that the countries whose markets are the most open have higher real output and...

David M. Gould argues that free trade agreements can help developing countries establish the credibility essential to successful trade reform. Credibility, he explains, is necessary if trade reform policies are to entice investment into the economic sectors where the liberalizing country has its...

According to conventional wisdom, trade balances reflect a country's competitive strength-the lower the trade deficit, the stronger the country's industries and the higher its rate of economic growth. In this article, David Gould and Roy Ruffin review the history of the conventional wisdom and...

The controversy over the success or failure of NAFTA is now bleeding over into discussion about the benefits of extending the trade accord to other countries in the Western Hemisphere. The NAFTA debate has typically focused on its impact on employment. But to understand the overall economic...