Economic Theology: On Grotius’s Mare Liberum and Vitoria’s De Indis, Following Agamben and Schmitt

A note on the ethics of free trade

Arguments against free trade are often couched in ethical terms. They usually describe the plight of those who lose from free trade, but seldom consider the costs of protectionism. This essay examines free trade from the perspective of several important ethical theories and concludes that free trade is consistent with each of them.

Trade Policy of a Free Society

This paper examines the various arguments that have been put forth in favor of protectionism, from both an accounting and philosophical perspective. The author concludes that arguments against free trade are based on faulty premises, illogical reasoning or incorrect facts. Part 2.

Classical Free Trade: A Policy Towards Economic Growth and Development

2010

The central aim of this dissertation is to make an unambiguous international trade policy recommendation for developing countries grounded on rigorous economic theory. As is generally known, trade models featuring increasing returns to scale and imperfect competition have challenged the mainstream case for free trade which is built upon unrealistic assumptions like constant return to scale and perfect competition. In this context, the core contribution of this dissertation is the restatement of the original free- trade case made by the classical political economists Adam Smith and David Ricardo. This restatement is based on the accurate interpretation of Ricardo’s famous numerical example in chapter 7 of the Principles. The classical case for free trade formulated by Smith and Ricardo neither relies on unrealistic assumptions nor the laissez-faire doctrine. On the contrary, it stipulates that free trade should always be accompanied by public policies that expand the provision of public education, job training, health care and infrastructure. Moreover, a widespread policy change towards free trade should always be implemented gradually, in order to take care of those groups who might be affected in the short run by the increased level of international competition and technological progress. The main conclusion of the dissertation is that free trade – as conceived by classical political economy – is the most suitable international trade policy for developed as well developing countries for achieving sustainable economic growth and development.

Free Trade in Theory and Policy: Contemporary Challenges

Human and Social Studies

Free trade denotes a state of international commercial relations premised on governments’ restraint from using policy instruments meant to favor indigenous industries against foreign competitors. According to the conventional trade theory advocated by classical and neo-classical thinkers, free trade makes little economic sense failing nations’ tendency to specialize based on comparative advantage, a concept with high persuasive influence despite the elapsing of time. Even though the comparative advantage rule has seldom been questioned per se, the free trade concept has been fiercely disputed and not infrequently, bashed. Nations’ involvement in international trade often follows patterns that do not fit theoretical models but attempt to respond to circumstantial interests, most often the need to protect poorly competitive industries. In common parlance, free trade has had both proponents and enemies.

Free Trade and New Philosophy: Tucker, Dangeul and Hamann.

2000 : The European Journal/2000:Die Europeische Zeitschrift/2000: Revista Europea/2000: Rivista europea, XVII, 2, pp. 10-14, 2016

This paper examines a book that helped to disseminate throughout Prussia and the other German states a series of British, French, and Spanish considerations regarding economic policy and free trade, and which also marked the embryonic development of certain German ideas related with this field, not only in terms of theoretical support for commercial practices, but also planting the seed for a new way of understanding politics and philosophy. The book was a translation by Johann Georg Hamann of works by Ulloa, Tucker and Dangeul, with the addition of his own essay about economics, politics and the philosophy of history.

Globalization and the myth of free trade

Artículo pesentado en la Conference on Globalization and the Myths of Free Trade, New School University, New York, Abril, 2003

The world today is beset by widespread poverty and persistent inequality. Some developing countries have managed to advance in the face of these obstacles, but many others have not, and still others have slipped back (UNDP 2002, Ch. 1). How should we proceed in the face of all of these problems? What role should international trade play in all of this? It is obvious that access to international resources can greatly benefit economic development. But it is equally obvious that there it can cause much" collateral damage". How then ...