My topic is the economic advantages of being America. First, it helps to be large.
Other things equal, a country that is the size of the largest (that is, the US) has an
advantage relative to the average-sized country. In a sample of 101 countries, the
advantage shows up as an estimated difference in income per capita of 54%. The
advantage is all the greater if there are no internal barriers to trade. The United States
since its inception has always been fortunate to have free trade internally, due to the
Interstate Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which specifies that only the
federal government can regulate trade among the 50 states. Other large countries such as
Canada, China, and Russia have many internal barriers obstructing goods and services
from crossing among their provinces