Abstract

This is an article on the comparative export performance of garment assemblers in Central America and the Caribbean Basin versus the key Far East Asian producers for the United States’ market. Apart from a report of historical trends, the methodology used in it is of the descriptive and summary statistical type. This hemispheric subdivision of labor consisting of Caribbean specialization in the assembly of garments made from inputs from the United States and other industrialized countries has experienced fluctuations over the decades since its inception. The latest “chapter” in this industry has been a return to protectionism in the United States, initiated by the Trump Administration. A summary of the history of the region’s garment export industry in the face of evolving US preferential trade access programs is provided, followed by the impact of Far Eastern competition in the context of a wider globalization of markets is examined. The impact of U.S. protectionist policies on this trade appears minimal as far as the Caribbean and Central America is concerned.

Keywords:
economic development; globalization; international commerce