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News Release 22-123
Inv. No(s). 332-587
Contact: Jennifer Andberg, 202-205-1819
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) today released a report cataloging information on the distributional effects of trade and trade policy on underrepresented and underserved communities.
The investigation, Distributional Effects of Trade and Trade Policy on U.S. Workers (Inv. No. 332-587), was requested by the U.S. Trade Representative in a letter received on October 14, 2021.
As requested, the USITC, an independent nonpartisan factfinding federal agency, gathered information through roundtable discussions among representatives of underrepresented or underserved communities, a symposium focused on academic and similar research on the distributional effects of trade and trade policy, and a review of economic literature on this topic. The Commission also accepted written submissions and conducted a public hearing in connection with the investigation.
The information in this report includes, but is not limited to:
- a summary of seven roundtable discussions in which participants discussed their perspectives and experiences of the impact of trade, trade policy, and other events on underserved and underrepresented communities;
- a catalogue of information collected through written submissions and a public hearing held to supplement the roundtables;
- a critical review and detailed assessment of academic and policy research examining the distributional effects of trade, which identifies gaps in the data and literature, and indicates where improvements to the coverage of and access to datasets could improve analysis of the distributional effects on underrepresented or underserved communities; and
- an overview of a two-day academic symposium where participants discussed the methodologies and data gaps involved in researching distributional trade effects, as well as relevant research underway on these effects globally.
Detailed highlights of the Commission’s findings can be found in the report’s Executive Summary.
USITC general factfinding investigations cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the Commission's objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigation reports are subsequently released to the public, unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.