We exploit a natural experiment to study the extent to which popular attitudes toward trade are driven by economic fundamentals. In 2007, Costa Rica put a free trade agreement (FTA) to a national referendum. With a single question on the ballot, 59% of Costa Rican adult citizens cast a vote on...

Total Western Hemisphere exports to the world increased by 5 percent in 2003, according to preliminary estimates by the IDB's Integration, Trade and Hemispheric Issues Division. This marks a reversal of a two-year trend that saw exports from the hemisphere decline by more than 9 percent between...

Total Western Hemisphere exports to the world increased by 5 percent in 2003, according to preliminary estimates by the IDB's Integration, Trade and Hemispheric Issues Division. This marks a reversal of a two-year trend that saw exports from the hemisphere decline by more than 9 percent between...