Topic: Free Trade

Scrap the Border-Adjustment Tax

– June 16, 2017

Adam Smith wisely pointed out what should have already been obvious: “Consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production.” Regrettably, many have not learned this truth. Observe: Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan and Ways and Means Chairman Kev …

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Free Competition Is Voluntary Cooperation

– May 30, 2017

From the viewpoint of anyone who is considering all the economic activities of a social group, “free competition” is another name for voluntary cooperation. This may seem a surprising statement, especially in modern times when many advocates of coopera …

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Time Matters in Trade and Immigration Policy

– May 10, 2017

We’ve been writing a lot lately about trade and immigration policy, and getting a wide array of thought-provoking comments. It strikes me that a key source of the disconnect in our country’s debate about whether freer trade and immigration cost America …

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President Trump Slaps a Tariff on Canada

– April 27, 2017

“Canadian Bacon” is a mid-1990s satire of U.S. politics. In the film, the president tries to boost the economy by starting a war with Canada. The opening salvo involves Bud Boomer, a rural sheriff from upstate New York, sneaking into Toronto to throw g …

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A Border-Adjustment Tax Will Not Help the Economy Grow

– April 25, 2017

House Speaker Paul Ryan recently proposed a tax plan called A Better Way: A Vision for a Confident America. Ryan’s plan to make the United States more competitive includes a tax cut for businesses, a switch to a territorial tax system, and a border-adjustment tax. A tax cut and a switch to a territorial system would be positive for the economy. On the other hand, the border-adjustment tax would work like a tariff. It would encourage inefficient domestic production, which would raise prices and reduce real output. Over the long run the BAT would not even reduce the trade deficit.

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How Much Does Trade Affect Employment?

– April 21, 2017

How much does import competition affect U.S. jobs? We at AIER have always argued for the benefits of free trade, but it is still worth understanding what happens to those who may lose their jobs because of international competition. The benefits from t …

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Understanding Trade

– April 11, 2017

Few areas of life are as poorly understood as trade. This is remarkable because each of us engages in trade every day. We buy our groceries, clothing, electronics, etc. from other people rather than making them ourselves. If we didn’t think trade was worthwhile, we wouldn’t do it. But we do—because we know how poor we would be if each of tried to make all the things we want.

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A Border Adjustment Tax Is Protectionism

– April 3, 2017

Free trade lets global markets provide consumers with the best products at the lowest prices. Throughout its history, AIER has consistently argued against restrictions on free trade—protectionism—and likewise we oppose the border adjustment tax propose …

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Home and Abroad on the Range: U.S. Ranchers and Trade

– March 2, 2017

We at AIER recently wrote an article defending free trade amid a new climate of protectionism. While the arguments for free trade apply to all sectors of the economy, we focused primarily on manufacturing examples. A recent op-ed in the Dallas News use …

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“Unfair” Trade, At Home and Abroad

– February 13, 2017

  We received some great questions from readers on our recent article about free trade, many of which had to do with how we should respond to unfair trading practices by foreign firms or governments. One practice commonly labeled unfair is dumping …

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Fighting Protectionism Once Again

– February 3, 2017

“When adversely affected minorities are politically powerful, governments often intervene with special-privilege legislation to insulate the “injured” parties from the effects of international cooperation or to give them special advantages in the inter …

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Mostly Domestic Manufacturing

– January 30, 2017

In the wake of President Donald Trump’s protectionist stance for domestic manufacturing, many observers have spoken in defense of free trade. AIER has its own history of publishing in this area. In this post, I want to highlight one point that we touch …

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