Ford Policy Union: Pros and cons of free trade

Free and open to the public.
Preceded by a reception in the Great Hall at the Ford School at 5:00 PM.

Join the conversation on Twitter: #FordPolicyUnion.

About the event
This Ford Policy Union event will feature a debate on the policy of free trade, which is the elimination of import tariffs and other artificial barriers to international trade. Professor Alan Deardorff, a noted international trade scholar, will argue that the U.S. should actively pursue free trade agreements with any country that is willing, and it should focus those agreements on reducing barriers to international trade rather than on other issues sought by domestic interests in the U.S. Ms. Thea Lee, an expert trade economist, will argue that the current U.S. trade policy and so-called free trade agreements reinforce corporate power structures and exacerbate inequality in the U.S. and abroad.

Speakers
Thea Lee, Deputy Chief of Staff, AFL-CIO
Alan Deardorff, Professor, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan

More about the Ford Policy Union
The University of Michigan's International Policy Center at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy organizes and hosts the Ford Policy Union, a series of public debate events. The events feature one outside expert; a public policy practitioner, government official, academic and/or an international intellectual; and one U-M faculty member. The two participants present opposing views on a topic and answer questions from the audience.

• Alan Deardorff
• Thea Lee