On Florida’s presidential primary day, 90.7’s economic analyst Hank Fishkind takes on two big economic issues getting a lot of attention that are important for state finances: trade and migration. He begins his examination of the two with trade. Fishkind says all the presidential candidates have at least some criticism of NAFTA and the pending Trans Pacific Partnership agreement.

Hank’s Highlights:

Those who are opposed to trade liberalization point out that US industries exposed to increased foreign trade have often lost sales and have had to either shrink their US operations or move overseas. This is true for some industries, but for others, freer trade has stimulated demand for their products and allowed for expansion.

On balance, there is very strong evidence that, in total, the US economy has benefited from liberalized international trade.

From an economic perspective, the overwhelming weight of analysis concludes that moderate migration is quite positive for the receiving area.