Introduction
In today 's world economy, international trade policy plays an important role in national economic growth and economic development, it has become an important part of the international trading environment. Based on the historical research, free trade policy and protectionism are the two main catalogues of international trade policy. Free trade is a system in which the trade of goods and services between or within countries flows unhindered by government-imposed restrictions and interventions, which include tariffs, duties and quotas(investopedia, 2016). Besides, Protectionism is used by countries when they think their industries are being damaged by unfair competition from foreign industries. It 's a defensive measure, refers to government actions and policies that restrict or restrain international trade, Typical methods of protectionism are quotas, import tariffs, subsidies or direct state intervention and tax cuts to local businesses (investopedia, 2016).
Along with the development of global economy,the argument between free trade and protectionist are continue to be actively debated. In fact, international trade policy can be a double-edged sword, whether it is free trade or protectionism, both of the two policies have their own pro and cons. Based on the development history of international trade, the selection of trade policy are always varied in different countries, Countries at different levels of development should be implemented in trade policies
Free trade is the unrestricted purchase and sale of goods and services between countries without the imposition of protection such as tariffs and quotas. This enables economies to focus on their core competitive advantage(s), thereby maximizing economic output and fostering income growth for their citizens. Australian exports rose from $66.6 billion in 1990-91 to $300.4 billion in 2012-13, with an average growth in export volumes of 4.6 per cent per annum since 1990-91. This is reflective of Australia’s proactive actions to phase out protection since the 1970s. The major effects of domestic and global free trade and protection policies
Main protectionist policies include tariffs, quotas, embargos and voluntary export restraints, and Adam Smith’s idea of absolute advantage has been developed further to explain international trade. In recent years, protectionism has become closely related to globalization during which the influences of trades spread almost everywhere, so people insist upon the study of social deformities generated by improper policies on international trade and the task of pointing them out with a view to remedy. There are certainly both economic and political purposes of trade
Following World War II, economic policies were marked by two major trends. On one hand, industrialized economies gradually removed trade barriers. These policies were based on the idea that free trade is not only a factor for economic prosperity of nations, but also for the promotion of peace. On the other hand, economic policies of many developing countries with the exception of few countries in Southeast Asia have been conditioned by the belief that the key to development rests in the establishment of a powerful manufacturing sector, and that the best way to create such an area was to protect local industries from international competition through substitution imports policies.
Economist have been debating between free trade and protectionism for decades. This debate has been most recently reiterated through President Donald Trump’s announcement that his administration would be taking steps to limit free trade in the United States. The opinion piece “Beware the Trump Trade Trap” by Liz Mair, argues that free trade is positively linked to a country’s prosperity, although most of the population may disagree with this. Mair argues that protectionism would limit consumption, however, it is important to also expand upon these ideas and to remember that free trade encourages prosperity, comparative advantage, and improves economic growth.
First, one of the restrictions to free trade is tariff. According to Menlo-Atherton High School (2015), a tax that is put on imported goods from abroad is known as tariff. Tariff is used to raise the price of imported goods so that the domestic producers can sell their similar goods at higher prices. Domestic government will be the one collecting the money that is received from tariff. Protective tariffs and revenue tariffs are the types of tariff. Protective tariffs are put on imported goods so that it will be more expensive. It is used to protect the domestic industries from the competition of foreign firms. Revenue tariffs are used to raise money for government (Menlo-Atherton High School, 2015). The benefit of tariffs are uneven due to tariff is a tax. Besides that government is benefited, domestic industries are benefit from it as well due to the reduction of competition from foreign productions. It is because of the increased prices of the imported products. However, it is unfortunate for the consumers because the higher price of goods is due to higher import price. Tariff tends to bring advantages for government and producers but not to the
Trade is something crucial to economic success in any country. The less difficult trade between two nations is, the easier both can benefit as nations, but the individuals of the nation benefit as well as there is easy access to foreign products. Most notable for most people here in the U.S. is NAFTA, which is the agreement between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. However, there is a large division on whether or not free trade is more harmful than it is good, and that protectionism is the way to go. In fact, the current president-elect Donald Trump is for limiting free trade and installing large restrictions in the form of tariffs and outsourcing costs to protect America, and is part of his plan to "Make America Great Again." Free trade is a more intelligent decision as there are a lot more benefits of free trade compared to protectionism including individual benefits and economic improvement.
One of the greatest international economic debates of all time has been the issue of free trade versus protectionism. Proponents of free trade believe in opening the global market, with as few restrictions on trade as possible. Proponents of protectionism believe in concentrating on the welfare of the domestic economy by limiting the open-market policy of the United States. However, what effects does this policy have for the international market and the other respective countries in this market? The question is not as complex as it may seem. Both sides have strong opinions representing their respective viewpoints, and even the population of the United States is divided when it comes to taking a stand in
The key important role of government intervene in international trade is interest to protect the domestic producers in their country. Political arguments concerned with protecting the interests of one group, which are producers often at the expense of another within a nation, which are consumers. First, government should protect jobs and
“Trade freedom reflects an economy’s openness to the import of goods and services from around the world and the citizen’s ability to interact freely as buyer or seller in the international marketplace” (Miller and Kim, 2011). Tariffs, export taxes, trade quotas, trade bans, and other trade restrictions all hinder the free flow of foreign and domestic commerce. Tariffs and export taxes increase prices to both
Free trade is exchange of goods and commodities between parties without the enforcement of tariffs or duties. The trading of goods between people, communities, and nations is not an innovative economic practice. Nations are however the main element within a free trade agreement. By examining free trade through three different political ideologies: Liberal, Nationalistic, and Marxist approaches, the advantages and disadvantages will become apparent. Theses three ideologies offer the best evaluation of free trade from three different perspectives.
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.
Throughout the years, there has been a constant controversy over whether the World Trade Organization should enforce global free trade. The primary idea is to establish in which all are happy. Although there are many advocates for trade liberalization, as well as many who oppose. I believe free trade may be advantageous for both large and small-industrialized countries, but it does not favor the smaller developing countries needs primarily.
Ever since the first involvement of government in international trade, many people have posed their opinion about what the role of government should be in it. Different factors are involved when it comes to deciding what this should be. It impacts a lot of people, so in order to do that, trade policy must be properly defined, identify what the roles of government currently are, and their involvement in it, and then analyse what should be their role. Trade policy is how a country carries out trade with other countries (Commercial Policy, n.d). Even though a lot of people support government intervention in international trade, countries would benefit a lot more if the government removes protectionism and promotes free trade instead.
The international trade of goods across the world accounts for approximately 60% of the world Gross Domestic Product (The World Bank, 2014). A great proportion of goods transactions occur every second. The primary question is whether international trade benefits a country as an entirety, and, if so, why would a country implement protective trade policies to restrict particular exports? To address this question, this essay aims to explore the impact of trade on various economic stakeholders, including consumers, producers, labour and government and, furthermore, will compare models and theories with reality to ascertain the true winner/ loser in the international trade market.
To understand the comparison of protectionist rationales used in high-income countries with those used in low-income countries’ economies