Lesson 7: International Trade: Political Agreements

  1. Review of assignments and readings.
  2. What is international trade? How and why do governments get involved?
  3. What are trade agreements?
  4. Rodrik's trilemma revisited.
  5. Class discussion of five case studies:
    1. Case 1: MTBE and NAFTA
    2. Case 2: PhRMA and generic AIDS drugs
    3. Case 3: European Common Agricultural Policy
    4. Case 4: Korean movie industry and Hollywood
    5. Case 5: Buy American provisions
      6. Case Results
  6. Wrap-up and quick evaluation.
Take-home point: Trade is affected by a number of political factors and considerations, and the "most efficient" result is sometimes ambiguous and does not always prevail.