美国国家公共电台 NPR For Global Investors, 'Uncertainty' Over Business Climate Under Trump

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ALLISON AUBREY, HOST: 

It can take decades for a country to build up a name as a good place to do business, and the U.S. ranks among the best. But some economists² say its reputation could be challenged if President-elect Trump³ makes good on threats to rip up international agreements. NPR's Jackie Northam reports.

JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE⁴: Having a good reputation is a huge economic plus for any country - and one the U.S. has enjoyed for a long time.

SIMEON DJANKOV: The U.S. is consistently among the top five, the top 10 countries in the world in terms of the environment for doing business. And this is mostly because of the rule of law and the transparency of government decision.

NORTHAM: That's Simeon Djankov, the senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and formerly⁵ the chief economist¹ at the World Bank. He says America's solid reputation could quickly disappear if President-elect Trump carries through with some of his campaign promises.

He points to the Paris climate accord, signed by world leaders a year ago. Djankov says there was an underlying⁶ expectation in the global business community that an international contract would be honored when the next U.S. president took office.

DJANKOV: And suddenly, the president-elect says, well, I don't like this agreement. I may not abide⁷ by it. These businesses are thrown into panic since they already may have spent maybe hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars abiding⁸ by this new regulation. Now it's for nothing, so to speak.

NORTHAM: Scuppering such agreements can erode⁹ trust with international investors¹⁰, says Ray Fisman, a professor of economics at Boston University.

RAY FISMAN: If there's one thing that deters¹¹ investment, it is uncertainty¹². You don't quite know what you're in for if you consider doing business in the U.S.

NORTHAM: It's still unclear whether there will be a bright line between Trump's business dealings and the White House. His children have sat in on meetings with world leaders and advisers¹³. Trump has said his sons would run his companies while he's president. But he could still make money off his name used on hotels across the world.

ALEJANDRO SALAS: We should not forget that perceptions are important.

NORTHAM: Alejandro Salas is a director at Transparency International, which produces an index every year looking at the impact of perceived corruption¹⁴ on international investment in more than 160 countries. Salas says the higher level of corruption, the less attractive a country is to investors - and vice¹⁵ versa. The U.S. ranked 16th last year. Salas says that may change because Trump appears to disregard many rules and regulations.

SALAS: The fact that there could be so much conflict of interest - the fact that he says, as far as the conflict of interest, laws don't apply to the president - that's very dangerous.

NORTHAM: Salas says the American system of checks and balances will help hold the government accountable. For now, investors will give the new president time and latitude¹⁶ to settle into the job. And the stock market is going gangbusters.

Jackie Northam, NPR News.