Brookings: "All About the Trans-Pacific Partnership"

First aired on December 24, 2018.

In this episode of "Dollar and Sense," David Dollar hosts Mieya Solis of Brookings for a discussion about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), from its inception to its possible future.

The particular details of this podcast are a little dated, but it's still worth a listen if you're interested in learning about the workings and potential of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Mireya Sol\'{i}s presents a thorough treatment of the topic, from its birth as part of the Obama administration's "pivot to Asia" and through to the Trump administration pulling out of it while hijacking many of its points for its own trade discussions with Canada and Mexico. Solis also describes how this agreement fills in where the World Trade Organization (WTO) can't, because the TPP is based on a majority, meaning it needs six countries to agree in order to move forward, whereas the WTO operates on a consensus of over 160 different countries, making any discussion easily stymied.

Since Japan has stepped up to the plate, though, the TPP has found new life as a trade pact between what now accounts for eleven nations. The pact is set up nicely for expansion of the group, and could evolve into a very comprehensive agreement. Still, it's already quite a sizeable agreement in terms of economy, encompassing Japan, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore, Peru, Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, and Vietnam. Looking at the list, you'll see a mixture of developed and developing countries, suggesting that this partnership could provide a blueprint for future agreements between the developed and the developing world.