How to Regulate Used Clothing Trade: Lessons from the U.S.-East Africa Trade Dispute on Used Clothing Import Ban

Abstract

This study investigated a recent high-profile trade dispute between the United States and the East African Community (EAC) on used clothing import ban. The findings of the study reveal the complexity of regulating used clothing trade, which involves economic, social, legal and political considerations that go far beyond used clothing itself. How to modernize and improve the effectiveness of trade preference programs, such as AGOA, as an economic development tool for EAC and other developing countries struggling with used clothing imports will be something meaningful to study in the future.