Post Tagged 'protectionism'

October 19, 2022

The Next American Economy Is Cause for Hope

Let me start with my summary judgement of The Next American Economy: Nation, State, and Markets in an Uncertain World: Samuel Gregg has written an outstanding contribution to the theory and practice of political economy for our times. Continue Reading...

October 06, 2022

Not Jonesing for the Jones Act

Just a few years ago, very few people knew or discussed the Jones Act. Now everyone is talking about it. In a colossal but somewhat predictable fiasco, while Puerto Rico was being pummeled by Hurricane Fiona, the Jones Act prevented a cargo ship from docking off its coast to deliver some 300,000 barrels of much-needed diesel fuel. Continue Reading...

October 07, 2020

When cronyism meets ‘creative destruction’

Amid rapid globalization, Americans have faced new pressures when it comes to economic change, leading to abundant prosperity, as well as significant pain and disruption across communities. In search of a villain, populists and progressives routinely blame the expansion of free trade and rise of global conglomerates, arguing that entrenched and moneyed interests are now allowed to run rampant from country to country with little competition or accountability. Continue Reading...

April 22, 2020

Rethinking free markets in an age of anxiety

On December 26, 1991, the USSR’s Supreme Soviet passed its final piece of legislation. Declaration Number 142-Н formally stated that the Soviet Union had ceased to exist as a sovereign entity. Continue Reading...

October 28, 2019

The uncertain future for free markets in America

A week ago I participated in a panel for the Philadelphia Society on “Conservatism and the Coming Economy.” During the Q&A, I was asked about the future of economic freedom specifically regarding our two major political parties. Continue Reading...

June 12, 2019

Alejandro Chafuen in Forbes: Reciprocity and free trade

Alejandro Chafuen, Acton’s Managing Director, International, writes today in Forbes about free trade and its relation to the notions of reciprocity and protectionism — popular topics in our current political climate. Continue Reading...

January 08, 2019

Reviving the spirit of free trade

The current support for tariffs in the United States has left me disappointed, frustrated, and in many unproductive debates. The French political philosopher, Frédéric Bastiat, best articulated my sentiments in an 1847 letter to Richard Cobden, “And I want not so much free trade itself as the spirit of free trade for my country. Continue Reading...

June 26, 2018