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News Release 17-174
Contact: Peg O'Laughlin, 202-205-1819
A Centennial History of the United States International Trade Commission, an exploration of this unique agency’s history and its work in a complex and dynamic global trading system, is now available on the U.S. International Trade Commission’s (USITC) web site.
Commissioned as part of the agency’s centennial celebration, A Centennial History of the United States International Trade Commission examines various aspects of the Commission’s past, including its founding as an independent, nonpartisan agency in 1916, its evolution as an institution, and how it has carried out its statutory responsibilities.
“The USITC has played an important role in how the United States has dealt with tariffs, trade agreements, and foreign unfair trade practices over the past 100 years,” said Paul R. Bardos, Editor-in-Chief of the publication. “To mark the agency’s centennial, the Commissioners wanted to produce a scholarly resource that would be useful to anyone trying to understand the history of U.S. tariff and trade policies, the history of the agency, and the evolution of the U.S. statutes regarding trade.”
A Centennial History of the United States International Trade Commission covers the full century since the agency’s founding in 1916. The book details the deliberations leading to the creation of the agency’s predecessor, the U.S. Tariff Commission, in that year, and it chronicles the agency’s varied statutory responsibilities since then, including tariff activities, import injury proceedings, intellectual property-related proceedings, and industry and economic analysis. The project draws upon the expertise of academics, former Commissioners and staff, and experienced practitioners who have collaborated on writing and reviewing the book’s chapters.
On September 8, 2016, the USITC held a day-long conference that featured contributors to the book and keynote speakers from all three branches of government. Videos and transcripts of the conference are available here: https://www.usitc.gov/centennial.htm
A Centennial History of the United States International Trade Commission is available at no charge on the USITC web site: https://www.usitc.gov/publications/other/centennial