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Regional Analysis of Nafta

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Regional Analysis of NAFTA

January 1, 1994, the United States, Canada, and Mexico entered a trade agreement which removed restrictions on trade between the three countries to encourage free competition, improve investment opportunities, and increase market access. NAFTA has provided some advantages to its members such as the eradication of tariffs, product price reductions, and increased profit margins. By reducing the tariff rate on goods or products, this allows Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to reduce their selling price, thus keeping them competitive with non-NAFTA goods and products sold at a higher price due to imposed tariffs. This also allows SMEs to compete with larger organizations within the regions. Regional integration is a formation of closer economic relations among countries that are geographically in the vicinity of one another, especially forming preferential trade agreements. However, as we can see, regional integration also refers to an outcome, which occurs when present criteria are met. Around the globe, we have seen an increase in the number and depth of regional integration over the last few decades. Over 40% of world trade occurs within regional integration agreements such as the European community, NAFTA, and new or expanded agreements continue to be negotiated (Wayne, 2004). A regional integration agreement represents free trade to the extent that it results in trade creation. This occurs by shifting the production of some good or product from a less efficient member country to a more efficient member country. It represents more restricted trade to the extent that it results in trade diversion by shifting the production from another efficient non-member country to a less efficient member country which promotes global business. NAFTA was thought to recast the economic landscape of North America. According to Bloomberg

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