Since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been such a debatable topic for the past 15 years of it's implementation, previous research has been conducted on this topic. However, most of this research ignores the positive effects that this agreement may have caused. The purpose of this thesis is to examine an industry that has experienced positive changes induced by NAFTA. The positive changes are expected to have occurred using expectations from classical international trade theory. Based off of these theories, the hypothesis is that in an industry that has experienced an increase in net exports, employment will have increased as well. This thesis examines the cattle industry in Colorado, which has seen a net increase in exports of beef products as a direct result of NAFTA. A qualitative research method was used, interviewing cattle ranchers in Colorado to gather data on the changes that have occurred since NAFTA. Results from data show that NAFTA has caused employment in this industry to remain stable over the NAFTA years. Also concluded from the data is that international trade models do not explain enough, resulting in expectations that do not capture the entire dynamics of free trade and globalization.
