Economic Theories Of International Free Trade Essay

Economics started with the ideas of Adam Smith. He is credited as the first true economist. He had never taught nor took a class in economics. In his book The Wealth of Nations Smith alludes to the idea that self interest motives allows a nation to prosper entirely. People do something in order to gain something.

Adam Smith: Adam Smith was a Scottish philosopher who is best known for The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.

The international trade sector of the U.S. economy continues to draw attention in economic and political circles. It is true that, the international market has become increasingly important as a source of demand for U.S. production and a source of supply for U.S. consumption. Indeed, it is substantially more important than is implied by the usual measures that relate the size of the international sector to the overall economy. This paper explores the role international trade now plays in the U.S. economy and answers the important questions for economic policy: How does international trade affect economic well-being? Who gains and who loses from free

The exchange of goods and services between international borders or territories is known as international trade. It allows countries to use excess resources, if the resource can be produced more efficiently then it can be sold cheaply. If a country lacks access to certain resources they can obtain that resource through the aid of international trade.

Adam Smith, of Scottish origin, was fortunate enough to be born and educated at a time when the Age of Enlightenment was its peak, thus exposing him to the

Robert Lansing address how Great Britian would capture ships and inconveniently take them to British ports for inspection (Doc 3). America’s Trade during the War fell, because the British would take the ships in fear that they were war ships attacking them. This led to a decline in Wilson’s Free Trade. The cargo on the ships was used by the time the British ports let the ship free, causing a major disruption in our economy. The report from the American Customs Inspector conveys how the Lusitania was in fact loaded with ammunition (Doc 6).

In conclusion, the topic of free trade is difficult to debate and often controversial as it has advantages but also disadvantages. Nonetheless, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits as it one, contravenes basic moral ideologies, two, makes the rich, richer, and the poor, poorer, and three, jeopardizes our declining environment. All in all, free trade will neither support nor sustain our country to be ethical, prosperous or

The term trade can defined as the movement of goods and consumables across the boundaries of the two regions in order to promote the access to items which are distinct in one region but surplus in the other. The international trade is as old as the history of mankind. Earlier when there was no concept of countries, the trade simply meant the movement of goods to far distant places. As soon as man realized that an access is needed to items that are not available in his region, he travelled and found them abroad. Now the difficulty was to gain control over those items while maintaining peace. This was how, the term barter and trade came into existence and people started to enter into agreements to transfer goods for goods or goods for money.

Structural unemployment may occur in the short term with the removal of trade barriers. This will have impact on large numbers of workers, as well as their families and local economies. In growth industries workers often will have difficulties to find employment.

     International trade has been in existence throughout history and has an economic impact on the participating countries. Trade in most countries has a share of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and helps to boost the

Free trade has long be seen by economists as being essential in promoting effective use of natural resources, employment, reduction of poverty and diversity of products for consumers. But the concept of free trade has had many barriers to over come. Including government practices by developed countries, under public and corporate pressures, to protect domestic firms from cheap foreign products. But as history has shown us time and time again is that protectionist measures imposed by governments has almost always had negative effects on the local and world economies. These protectionist measures also hurt developing countries trying to inter into the international trade markets.

Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations, shows support for free trade and emphasises it as a trade policy which ought to be adopted. Krugman and Obstfeld back Smith's support by stating that the efficiency of trade is increased by free trade and accumulates the national income of countries. Free trade is a theory which suggests that each nation benefits in specialising in an economic activity from which it gains absolute advantage, enjoying absolute superiority over other nations in a specif economical activity (Peng). With free trade follows opportunity, replacing regulation and growth of economic activity. (Rugmann and Collinson).

Adam Smith is considered to be the founder of a major field called Microeconomics, which is concerned with the behavior of individual entities such as markets, firms, and households. In 1776 Smith published The Wealth of Nations, a series

Mercantilism was a sixteenth-century economic philosophy that maintained that a country's wealth was measured by its holdings of gold and silver (Mahoney, Trigg, Griffin, & Pustay, 1998). This recquired the countries to maximise the difference between its exports and imports by promoting exports and discouraging imports. The logic was transparent to sixteenth-century policy makers-if foreigners buy more goods from you than you buy from them, then the foreigners have to pay you the difference in gold and silver, enabling you to amass more treasure. With the treasure acquired the realm could build greater armies and navies and hence expand the nation’s global influence.

Adam Smith outlined that the price mechanism in international trade is like an ‘invisible hand’ that coordinates the consumption and production decisions in a well-functioning market economy (Kerr and Gaisford 2007). However, there is need for the government to intervene in free market economies in order to implement trade regulations and avoid market failure that is associated with negative externalities. International trade is affected by government’s interventions that include direct participation in supply and purchase of essential goods and services, through regulation, taxation and other indirect participation influences. The free markets enhance market efficiency through ensuring that prices are determined by the