Post Tagged 'mercantilism'

September 14, 2021

‘Win-win denial’: The roots of zero-sum thinking

One of the basic insights of economics is that trade is mutually beneficial, making both parties better off than they were before. It’s a proposition about human exchange that stretches back to Adam Smith’s foundational treatise, “The Wealth of Nations.” Continue Reading...

June 26, 2018

It’s official: the United States has entered a trade war

What do soybeans and washing machines have in common? One is grown in the United States, and the other produced in China, but both are affected by the recent clash on trade. Continue Reading...

February 15, 2016

Is Donald Trump a mercantilist?

Being “pro business” doesn’t necessarily mean “pro free markets.” Reality TV star and wannabe Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump reminds us of this. Writing for The Stream, Acton’s Director of Research, Samuel Gregg, argues that not only does Trump seem to be a mercantilist, but, if implemented, this medieval economic system would weaken the United States. Continue Reading...

July 17, 2012

Let Them Eat Cheese

Turns out that cronyism hits more than just your pocketbook. There’s a good chance it’s hitting your waistline too. That’s the takeaway from this editorial by Charles Lane. You see, cheese is one of the highest fat foods we eat, and our country overproduces cheese because of government created market distortions. Continue Reading...

July 11, 2012

USCCB Calls for Reductions in Agriculutral Subsidies

Last week, PowerBlogger Andrew Knot and I wrote posts about American sugar policy and farm subsidies, respectively. Now, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as the Catholic Relief Services and National Catholic Rural Life Conference, have come out with a joint letter on the 2012 farm bill that just passed the Senate. Continue Reading...

July 03, 2012

American Agricultural Policy: Welfare for the Wealthy?

This morning I found that a commenter on my post about government failure in feeding the poor in India had complained that we should not trust “corporations who own the government.” Continue Reading...