• Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Europe logoCarnegie lettermark logo
EUNATO
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Viji Rangaswami"
  ],
  "type": "other",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Economy",
    "Trade"
  ]
}
REQUIRED IMAGE

REQUIRED IMAGE

Other

Nickel and Diming the Poor: U.S. Implementation of the LDC Initiative

The U.S. should provide open access for least developed country exports, which would yield real benefits to the global poor and allow the U.S. to reclaim its leadership position in the struggling WTO round.

Link Copied
By Viji Rangaswami
Published on Jul 10, 2006

Source: Carnegie Endowment

The United States has an opportunity to change the dynamics of the stalemated global trade talks at the World Trade Organization (WTO). Over the past few months, countries have criticized the United States for demanding that they open their markets to U.S. farm and manufactured goods exports, while at the same time refusing to open the U.S. market to goods from the poorest countries.

In a new Policy Outlook, Nickel and Diming the Poor: U.S. Implementation of the LDC Initiative, Viji Rangaswami argues that the U.S. should provide open access for least developed country exports, which would yield real benefits to the global poor and allow the U.S. to reclaim its leadership position in the struggling WTO round. 

About the Author
Viji Rangaswami is an associate in the Trade, Equity, and Development Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Her work focuses on how multilateral and regional trade agreements, as well as unilateral preference programs, can promote development, particularly among the least developed countries.

About the Author

Viji Rangaswami

Former Associate

    Recent Work

  • Article
    Farm Policies Block Progress for the Poor

      Viji Rangaswami, Lionel Johnson

  • Other
    A Stitch in Time: Helping Vulnerable Countries Meet the Challenges of Apparel Quota Elimination

      Viji Rangaswami

Viji Rangaswami
Former Associate
Viji Rangaswami
EconomyTradeNorth AmericaUnited States

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

  • Paper
    A Grand Strategy for Europe’s Clean Industrial Future

    Europe’s industrial supply chains leave it vulnerable to global shocks. The EU needs a pragmatic green industrial strategy that balances durable partnerships and bolsters homegrown clean tech without sacrificing low-carbon ambition.

      Milo McBride, Pauline Gerard

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Taking the Pulse: Is European Diplomacy on Iran Outdated?

    When the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding was announced, the UK, France, Germany, and Italy declared their readiness to help demine the Strait of Hormuz and lift nuclear sanctions on Tehran. But does Europe need new tools to recover a diplomatic role?

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz, ed.

  • Europe trade economy container supply chains
    Paper
    From Trade Dependence to Geopolitical Leverage: The EU in an Era of Weaponized Interdependence

    As geopolitical rivalry weaponizes global supply chains, the EU’s true vulnerability lies in emerging-risk imports. For these goods, suppliers are growing more concentrated, substitution more difficult, and political risk is looming.

      Sinan Ülgen

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    European Security Strategy: In Search of a New Ambition

    The EU is putting together a new security strategy to meet today’s myriad challenges. But for any proposal to be effective, the union needs to grapple with its identity and ambitions.

      Pierre Vimont

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Taking the Pulse: Are Western Democracies Failing Free Speech?

    The battle over free speech has taken center stage since U.S. Vice President JD Vance accused Europe of censorship. From travel bans to social media regulation, especially around the Israel-Palestine conflict, are liberal democratic governments weaponizing free speech?

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz, ed.

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
Carnegie Europe logo, white
Rue du Congrès, 151000 Brussels, Belgium
  • Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Gender Equality Plan
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.