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Getting to Win-Win

By Lise Johnson

Labor and capital could share the benefits of expanded trade—if everyone followed the rules

Over the past several decades, many of the hemisphere’s trade agreements have included impressively robust provisions on labor and the environment, but gaps in both implementation and enforcement have raised concerns about their effectiveness. Those concerns are especially timely as the region’s economic policymakers begin discussing efforts to facilitate greater international trade and investment, such as the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

The stakes have never been higher. Well-conceived free trade agreements (FTAs) can be powerful mechanisms for improving labor...

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