Does Trade Adjustment Assistance Make a Difference?

Abstract

The U.S. Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program provides workers who have lost their jobs due to increased trade with income support and training, job search, and relocation benefits. This paper uses the most recent data collected by the Department of Labor on TAA beneficiaries to provide one of the first evaluations of the effectiveness of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program. Using propensity score matching techniques, we find that the TAA program is of dubious value in terms of helping displaced workers find new, well-paying employment opportunities.