Trade Policy

Policymakers must be constantly reminded of the benefits of free trade and the costs of protectionism. Free trade is the extension of free markets across political borders. Enlarging markets to integrate more buyers, sellers, investors, and workers enables more refined specialization and economies of scales, which produce more wealth and higher living standards. Protectionism does just the opposite. Congress and the administration should pursue policies that expand the freedom of Americans to participate in the international marketplace.

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1,269 results found

June 7, 2021
Truth on the Market

Against the Jones Act
There is no reason to maintain the failed status quo.
By Colin Grabow and Thomas Grennes
May 23, 2021
Washington Examiner

Recent Pipeline Problems Further Indict the Jones Act
Typically one of the most efficient means of transporting goods, domestic shipping has been made so uncompetitive by the Jones Act that little of it actually takes place.
By Colin Grabow
May 20, 2021
UK Telegraph

The Conservatives Must Avoid the Protectionist Farming Trap
So let’s be clear: all FTAs and the hysteria surrounding them bring miserable political compromises, but the idea there’s some simple consumer-producer trade-off here is bad economics.
By Ryan Bourne
May 19, 2021
MarketWatch

Waiving COVID-19 Vaccine Patents Would Be Disastrous
Ex-post appropriation of existing patents signals both domestically and abroad that the U.S. government puts political expedience before the rule of law. This sets a terrible precedent.
By Jeffrey Miron and Pedro Aldighieri
April 14, 2021
The Dispatch

In Praise of Foreign Direct Investment—(Almost) All of It
It’s actually pretty great for American workers and their surrounding communities.
By Scott Lincicome
April 9, 2021
Foundation for Economic Education

Why the Captain of the Ever Given Should Get a Medal
If protectionists were consistent, they should be lauding the captain of the Ever Given for his ability to disrupt trade.
By Tom G. Palmer
April 7, 2021
The Dispatch

Stonktaking
Revisiting some earlier assessments on the COVID-19 pandemic as well as Biden’s tariffs and trade policy.
By Scott Lincicome
March 22, 2021
The Wall Street Journal

After COVID, Services Are Where the Trade Action Is
The pandemic has showcased the digital economy, where the United States has enormous comparative advantages.
By James Bacchus
March 11, 2021
South China Morning Post

How Access to COVID-19 Vaccines Has Highlighted the Need for the WTO to Rebalance Its IP Rules
There has long been tension in WTO intellectual property rules between exclusive ownership of new knowledge and the need for broad public access.
By James Bacchus
March 3, 2021
The Dispatch

A Reality Check on the Pandemic, Supply Chains and Our ‘April 2020 Mindset’
Federal government attempts to reshore supply chains raise their own risks. Freer markets actually make us more resilient.
By Scott Lincicome
February 10, 2021
The Dispatch

Your Summer Cruise Just Got Cabotaged
Why shipping restrictions are counterproductive.
By Scott Lincicome
February 10, 2021
Newsweek

China’s Technological Predation Threatens U.S. Security
Primacy in the next generation of technology could lock in advantages with very serious security implications for years and decades to come.
By Daniel J. Ikenson
January 27, 2021
The Dispatch

Busting the ‘Deindustrialization’ Myth
Manufacturing job loss is tied to economic development and reflects trends largely disconnected from policy.
By Scott Lincicome
January 25, 2021
National Interest (Online)

Why Did Donald Trump’s Trade War on China Fail?
Biden has a chance to learn from past mistakes with Beijing and formulate a better policy.
By Simon Lester
January 7, 2021
Washington Examiner

Trump Exits, but Will His Tariffs Remain?
Even though most trade experts disagree and continue to see the tariffs’ costs as overwhelming their benefits, it may prove difficult for President-elect Joe Biden, who repeatedly criticized Trump’s tariffs, to unwind them.
By Scott Lincicome