Meeting 2

Main debate: To what extent have innovations in policy-making institutions since the 1930s (e.g. fast-track, the "unfair trade" laws, etc.) mitigated the effects of special interest lobbying?

Discussion questions:

1. What, according to Destler, is the "root problem" of trade policy-making that was identified by E.E. Schattschneider in his classic study of the 1930 Smoot-Hawley tariff act?

2. How was this problem solved or managed by Congress in the years between the 1930s and 1970s so that significant reductions in tariffs were possible?  By what means, according to Destler, was Congress able to deflect protectionist pressures?

3. Since 1934 Congress has delegated significant authority over trade policy to the president. Why? Is this likely to continue?

4. What recent developments have threatened the old system of policy-making, according to Destler, increasing the likelihood of a significant revival of protectionism in the United States?

5. How do the "unfair trade" laws operate in the American system?  Are they a help or a hindrance to the liberal trading order?