CO SCI 136 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Nomic, Perfect Competition, Indifference Curve
Document Summary
Deconstructing the argument for free trade: a case study of the role of economists in policy debates: introduction. The paper argues that the standard argument made by economists in favor of free trade is either incoherent or lacks judgement about what is good for a nation. Economist"s views on free trade are more synchronous than on almost any other policy question: economists are, overwhelmingly, free traders. The purpose of this note is not to argue that protectionism is better than free trade, or that the status quo should be awarded pride of place when considering economic policy. Rather, it is to focus atten- tion on the quality of argument brought to bear by economists in defense of free trade. The hope is that this will encourage production of better arguments about the issue: the challenges for free-trade advocates that arise from economic analysis, the aggregation of individual welfare issue.
