Elections In The Us Congress Protectionist Political And Institutional Roots

After the establishment of USA, her diplomatic policy mainly focused on economic business with other countries. In other words, trade policy was the diplomatic policy in earlier times. In American trade history, protectionism and liberalism are two themes dominating in trade policy. And protectionism dominates most times, which is the earliest and longest trade policy in American foreign economic history. In a way, trade protection promotes the rise of America in modern times. While lots of factors affecting trade policy, in political economic perspective, trade policy is influenced and determined by American domestic politics, especially domestic political institutions. As the fundamental institutions in the establishment of USA, election institutions have got a decisive influence in the formation of trade policy. American constitution authorizes congress the power to be in charge of foreign economic business, and congressmen’s inclination on trade policy is restricted to limited interest of voters and constituency, for the press of being reelected. So this is the institution source of protectionism. This paper mainly focuses on analyzing the relationship among congressmen, election institution and trade policy, in a view of congress election. Centered on election and trade policy, voters, interest groups and parties play games in the election process. And finally the games make congressmen incline to trade protectionism.