Buy American and Foreign Trade- Dependent Markets: An Analysis of Issues and Remedies

Babin, L. (Laurie) | 2014-05-13

Thousands of American jobs are being outsourced each month, and protectionism advocates argue that domestic job losses are a direct result of off-shoring and importing. On the other hand, Buy American, a protectionist move, and its direct consequences, hurts U.S. marketers in industries dependent on imports and exports due to the potential conflict between the U.S. and its trading partners. Target markets become impossible to reach, both at home and abroad, while importdependent firms experience difficulties importing their inputs. This paper focuses on issues of Buy American faced by U.S. businesses, the international, legal and ethical dimensions of these issues, past and current actions taken by U.S. businesses in this matter, ramifications of these actions, and recommendations for businesses affected by this movement.