Trade agreements have been the favourite whipping boys in elections taking place across the world. Be it in the US, Europe or Asia, politicians have attacked trade deals, particularly humongous agreements like the TPP and TTIP, for their adverse impacts on livelihoods, jobs and access to medicines. Ironically, political establishments themselves have been among the biggest backers of trade deals otherwise, not only on economic grounds, but also geo-strategic factors.The TPP exemplifies these contrasts as a trade deal being torn to shreds during the US Presidential elections across the political spectrum; as a deal vociferously championed by the Obama Administration for supporting higher-paying American jobs; and finally as a deal that enables the US, not ‘other countries’ write the rules of trade and contribute positively to the US national security agenda. Why do cross-country trade deals, and national trade policies, evoke such contrasting postures among political actors in different situations? The talk will examine the question at a time when mega-regional trade agreements desperately search greater political legitimacy and popular acceptance.
Dr Amitendu Palit is Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead (Trade and Economic Policy) at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) in the National University of Singapore (NUS). He is an economist specializing in international trade policies, regional economic developments, comparative economic studies and political economy of public policies. Prior to joining ISAS in April 2008, he was with the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), a leading economic policy research institute and think-tank in Delhi. His current research focuses on economic and political implications of India’s integration with the Asia-Pacific region, impact of mega-regional trade agreements, and various determinants of external trade and integration policies of China and India.