Assessing the U.S. Trade Policies in the Primary Products

Abstract

This study empirically analyzed the U.S. trade patterns of primary products. We used the H-index weighting to measure the degree of the U.S. trade policies in exports and imports. We find the U.S. has considerably encouraged the imports, and has slightly promoted the exports of primary products. We conclude that the agricultural subsidies, which help the U.S. economic growth and resource saving, are the major determinant for the export patterns of the U.S. primary products.