WWU economist to study U.S. trade with Canada

Western Washington University Economics Department chair Paul Storer is currently working on a research project that will examine the complex relationship between external government tariffs, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and cross-border trade between the United States and Canada.

Storer said he hopes to be able to point to a potential cost savings in the billions of dollars if streamlined rules regarding NAFTA and cross-border trade could be implemented; he will present the findings of his research at a conference in Toronto, Canada later this fall.

According to Storer, a recent University of Alberta study concluded that a similar streamlining would save the province $4 billion a year in paperwork costs alone.

“We’re attacking this from a slightly different angle, but we think the costs savings and economic impact on Washington could be quite high,” he said.

Storer’s research is funded by a $30,700 Border Research Award from the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University.