Free Trade

February 07, 2020

‘American Factory’ manufactures a lemon

(Feb. 12, 2020) Update: American Factory wins an Oscar for best feature documentary. In accepting the award, co-director Julia Reichert told attendees at the awards ceremony, “We believe that things will get better when workers of the world unite.” Continue Reading...

February 07, 2020

Boris Johnson: ‘Free trade needs a global champion’

In the immediate aftermath of the historic vote for Brexit, many cheered Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, hailing it as a win for freedom, democracy, and subsidiarity. Yet others were quick to claim the move was driven only by populist fear and an inward-looking protectionism. Continue Reading...

February 03, 2020

Law & Liberty forum helps break down free markets versus economic nationalism debate

Since 2015, I have spent more time than I could ever have imagined debating the issue of whether free markets are more optimal for the United States (or any other country) than the various policies usually grouped together under the phrase “economic nationalism.” Continue Reading...

February 03, 2020

Samuel Gregg: ‘Economic nationalism will not make America great again’

In early January, Samuel Gregg explained at Law & Liberty how economic policies driven by nationalist protectionism have, in many cases, eventually resulted in economic loss. Generally, protectionist policies are implemented in order to protect workers and industries, however, they also have the effect of throwing market incentives off balance. Continue Reading...

January 20, 2020

Donald Boudreaux on why Oren Cass’s comparative advantage is not discussing comparative advantage

Last week I wrote about the basic economic illiteracy behind of Oren Cass’s case for industrial policy. So basic were the mistakes that I thought perhaps I had misread Cass’s argument. Continue Reading...

January 17, 2020

FAQ: The U.S.-China ‘Phase One’ trade agreement

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He signed “Phase One” of a two-part trade agreement between the United States and China. Here are the facts you need to know. Continue Reading...

January 15, 2020

If government can dream it, can it do it?

Oren Cass, author of The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America, has written a deeply confused response to Samuel Gregg’s essay ‘How Economic Nationalism Hurts Nations.’ Continue Reading...

January 08, 2020

What are the unintended consequences of economic nationalism?

Protectionist policies are, on the surface, attractive. Through state means, they promise to protect industries and workers as well as boost a country’s industrial production. But like most top-down solutions, there’s a catch; the government has a knowledge deficiency. Continue Reading...

December 16, 2019

What Churchill knew about tariffs could fill a bucket

Winston Churchill, like Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain, has been the putative source of many a pseudonymous or misattributed quotation. However, one of his best-known aphorisms about taxes is authentic – but misunderstood. Continue Reading...

November 01, 2019

Alejandro Chafuen in Forbes: State-owned enterprises and trade

Alejandro Chafuen, Acton’s Managing Director, International, published a piece in Forbes yesterday on the place of state-owned enterprises in international trade. The question also extends to industries that, even if not owned by the state, are significantly influenced by government interests, regulation, and so on. Continue Reading...

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