Arguments for Protection and the Political Economy of Trade Policy
We have demonstrated that even though a country gains from free trade, import-competing industries and their workers lose and seek protection from the government to erect barriers to trade, which ultimately results in a net national loss. If trade barriers are harmful to the nation, then why are they enacted? The erection of trade barriers depends on the mechanism through which trade policy is enacted. One method to have a direct vote is through a referendum. Let’s suppose the domestic shoe industry is faced with competition from cheaper imports and asks the government to place a tariff on shoes. Assume there are five firms with a total gain in producer surplus of $500, ...
Get A Guide to International Economics now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
