Trade and Employment Effects of the Andean Trade Preference Act. Fourth AnnualBackground Report Pursuant to Section 207 of the Andean Trade Preference Act

摘要

This background report is the fourth in a series of annual comprehensive reportsto the Congress pursuant to Section 207. It analyzes the impact of the ATPA on U.S. trade and employment in the first four and one-half years of operation, i.e., the period July 2, 1992 to December 31, 1996. A summary of the analysis contained in this report was submitted to Congress by the Secretary of Labor in December 1997. Chapter I describes the provisions included in the ATPA and the benefits available to beneficiary countries; it also compares the conditions for duty-free treatment of U.S. imports under the ATPA with those under the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and those subject to special treatment pursuant to item 9802.00.80 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States which covers foreign processing or assembly of U.S.-made components. Chapter II anlayzes changes in U.S. trade with ATPA beneficiary countries. In Chapter III, trends in U.S. employment in those industries which have been identified in Chapter II as having undergone the most significant changes in ATPA duty-free U.S. imports are analyzed. The report closes with some general conclusions on the impact of the ATPA on U.S. employment.