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. CEI continues to make the case for free trade in the face of increased bipartisan hostility to the idea.

CEI’s experts also work with like-minded colleagues abroad to oppose harmful initiatives, such as working with British colleagues to stop that country’s competition agency from blocking mergers between American firms based on speculative reasoning.

Featured Posts

Search Posts

Op-Eds

The Global Network of Snobs

Cultural creativity is big business in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />America.  According to the most recent data from Economists Incorporated, U.S.

Free Speech

Op-Eds

An Apple a Day

“Who are those guys?”<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />   That's the question that keeps popping up…

Energy and Environment

Op-Eds

The International Green Agenda

Environmental groups were stunned when the cash-strapped Turner Founda-tion—which gave about $28 million to green causes in 2002—announced recently that it would temporarily suspend all…

Climate

Op-Eds

CEI Does Cancún

From September 10 through September 14, the World Trade Organization will hold its fifth Ministerial meeting in Cancún, Mexico. The Competitive Enterprise Institute will be…

Business and Government

Op-Eds

EU Over-REACH

The latest mutation of the Precautionary Principle–which would heavily regulate, if not prohibit, any product, technology or activity that is in any way incomplete–is…

Health and Safety

Op-Eds

Stockholm Syndrome

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) is a United Nations Environment Programme Convention, which bans or regulates industrial chemicals and pesticides. The…

Energy and Environment

Op-Eds

Pollsters: A New Danger in Baghdad

<?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml” /><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /><?xml:namespace prefix = w ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word” />We have, for…

Free Speech

Op-Eds

Consensus Cons

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> It is a regrettable fact that most of the public is ignorant about science—not…

Health and Safety

News Release

Boost Your Environmental IQ Online

Washington, D.C., February 7, 2003—The Competitive Enterprise Institute is launching a new online feature, the "e-class" quiz, this week. The quiz, developed by CEI’s…

Climate

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

Kent Lassman

President and CEO

  • Capitalism
  • Deregulation
  • Innovation