CEI believes that free and open trade is a cornerstone of economic freedom, international development, and peaceful cooperation between nations. It enhances consumer freedom and choice, allows nations to take advantage of their comparative advantages, and reduces potentially dangerous national rivalries. Free trade is responsible for lifting billions of people out of poverty over the past half century and has encouraged life-saving and -enhancing innovation over that time.

As a result, CEI experts have encouraged and supported trade-enhancing policies and treaties over the years, including “fast-track” Trade Promotion Authority, specific trade deals, and multilateral efforts such as the Doha round of the World Trade Organization. We have opposed increased tariffs, attempts to increase regulation through trade deal language, and the trend toward bilateral rather than multilateral deals. In 2018, CEI experts were happy to contribute to the Initiative for Free Trade’s project to produce the first-of-its-kind “ideal” free trade agreement.

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Staff & Scholars

Iain Murray

Vice President for Strategy and Senior Fellow

  • Banking and Finance
  • Trade and International

Ryan Young

Senior Economist

  • Antitrust
  • Business and Government
  • Regulatory Reform

Fran Smith

Adjunct Fellow

  • Trade and International