Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke delivered an important speech Tuesday on the benefits of free trade to our economy and workers. Speaking to an audience in Butte, Montana, Bernanke explained why trade raises our standard of living and backed up his economic logic with up-to-date evidence.

He acknowledged that some workers and companies lose out, at least temporarily, from more vigorous global competition, but he warned that protectionism would be the worst possible policy response.

As the Fed chairman told his audience:

Restricting trade by imposing tariffs, quotas, or other barriers is exactly the wrong thing to do. Such solutions might temporarily slow job loss in affected industries, but the benefits would be outweighed, typically many times over, by the costs, which would include higher prices for consumers and increased costs (and thus reduced competitiveness) for U.S. firms. Indeed, studies of the effects of protectionist policies almost invariably find that the costs to the rest of society far exceed the benefits to the protected industry. In the long run, economic isolationism and retreat from international competition would inexorably lead to lower productivity for U.S. firms and lower living standards for U.S. consumers.

Rather than closing U.S. markets, Bernanke wisely recommends “policies and programs aimed at easing the transition of displaced workers into new jobs and increasing the adaptability and skills of the labor force more generally.”

If you want to understand what free trade really means for Americans, I recommend the full text of his illuminating speech.