Free Trade

Part of the "Critiques of Libertarianism" site.
http://world.std.com/~mhuben/libindex.html

Last updated 08/07/08.

Free trade is arguable, except among libertarians where it is a basic of the ideology. What is not arguable though is the audacity of the false claims made for free trade.

Links

How the World Works.
James Fallows' debunks free trade as an engine of growth, detailing Friedrich List's theory and protectionist history of major economic powers. From Atlantic Unbound.
Cycles of Conventional Wisdom on Economic Development (pdf)
Paul Krugman points out that the association between free trade and economic development is not supported by economic research, and in fact is a recent, spurious belief.
Spheres of Affluence
Michael Lind's The American Prospect article points out ahistorical libertarian ideas on the benefits of free trade.
NEW 10/07: Routes of Infection: Exports and HIV Incidence in Sub-Saharan Africa
Free trade has externalities, including some of our most important diseases. (Also invasive species.)

Print References

The links here are to Amazon.com, through their associates program, primarily because of the review information. Books without links are generally out of print, and can often be easily found at AddAll Used and Out Of Print Search. Good sites for bargain shopping for sometimes expensive new books are Online Bookstore Price Comparison and AddAll Book Search and Price Comparison. Both of those list applicable coupons. Another is BookFinder.com.

Sherrod Brown "Myths of Free Trade"
Dissects free trade dogmas and myths.

Counter image omitted.

Copyright 2007 by Mike Huben ( mhuben@world.std.com ).
This document may be freely distributed for non-commercial purposes if it is reproduced in its textual entirety, with this notice intact.