In a new article at The Christian Science Monitor titled “Can ‘economic nationalism’ keep more jobs in US?” Acton Director of Research Samuel Gregg is interviewed about President-elect Donald Trump’s stated goal of keeping jobs and businesses from leaving for foreign countries. In the analysis piece by reporter Patrik Jonsson, he cites Gregg as a critic of protectionism:
In short, the United States cannot step back from the world without losing out, critics say.
Trump’s plans are in the short-term “likely to have some benefits for some local communities, but in the long term no amount of protectionism is going to stop you from losing your competitive edge,” says Samuel Gregg, research director at the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty in Grand Rapids, Mich. “At the moment, the pendulum has shifted toward fixing an immediate problem … but those programs will all have to be wound back precisely because they’ll cause inefficiencies.”
Acton Institute Director of Research – Samuel Gregg
This is not a surprising position for Gregg. He has been a consistent advocate for free trade and whenever possible has opposed the ideas of protectionism and crony capitalism.
The author closes out his article by quoting Trump’s adviser Stephen Moore, who says this: “Trade and immigration are unambiguously good for the country – but it will have to be done in ways that are supported by the American people, not shoved down our throats by the elites.” While this is an appealing statement, it comes across in a way that portrays Trump’s economic populist ideas as willing to accept the harmful long-term effects for the short-term benefits.
You can read the full article at The Christian Science Monitorhere.
