Buy America: Why Do Policymakers Keep Trying to Fix what's Not Broken?

摘要

Policymakers are calling for tougher Buy America procurement rules, which largely ignore how the real marketplace works and could undermine the very employment opportunities that these proposals seek to expand. Once again, a faction of Congress as well as administration officials, responding to increasingly louder voices outside the industry, are calling for tougher Buy America procurement rules for public transportation equipment. And, once again, while on its face well-meaning, pro-jobs proposals largely ignore how the real marketplace works, and this weakness could undermine the very employment opportunities these proposals seek to expand. Worse, they could actually shrink them. This article will address the various proposals in detail, including their strengths and shortcomings. Before that, however, it is important to recap how we got where we are, including why U.S. policy has Buy America provisions in the first place.