IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/ajecsc/v79y2020i1p25-47.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Debating Free International Trade

Author

Listed:
  • Gerard Strange

Abstract

This article begins with a definition of free international trade and a brief history of the evolution of free trade as an ideology and economic policy. It next considers the case for free trade as first articulated by classical economists Adam Smith and David Ricardo and then examines free trade critiques proffered by Friedrich List and Marxist scholars who claim that free trade can never be just nor fair so long as relational and structural power inequalities exist between corporations and workers. This article concludes with a summary of the current free trade debate, highlighting, in particular, how radical critics of free trade have begun to embrace a more distinctly Marxian view of the dynamics of globalized capital accumulation. This new perspective acknowledges the progressive transformations that globalized trade has brought to developing countries while also highlighting the ways global free trade relies upon and sustains an exploitative class dynamic.

Suggested Citation

  • Gerard Strange, 2020. "Debating Free International Trade," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 79(1), pages 25-47, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ajecsc:v:79:y:2020:i:1:p:25-47
    DOI: 10.1111/ajes.12310
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajes.12310
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/ajes.12310?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Prebisch, Raúl, 1950. "The economic development of Latin America and its principal problems," Sede de la CEPAL en Santiago (Estudios e Investigaciones) 29973, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    2. Bhagwati, Jagdish, 2007. "In Defense of Globalization: With a New Afterword," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195330939.
    3. William I. Robinson, 2015. "The transnational state and the BRICS: a global capitalism perspective," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(1), pages 1-21, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Waterbury, John, 1999. "The Long Gestation and Brief Triumph of Import-Substituting Industrialization," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 323-341, February.
    2. Kutuk, Yasin, 2022. "Inequality convergence: A world-systems theory approach," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 150-165.
    3. Justin Yifu Lin, 2017. "Industrial policies for avoiding the middle-income trap: a new structural economics perspective," Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(1), pages 5-18, January.
    4. Blanco, Luisa & Grier, Robin, 2012. "Natural resource dependence and the accumulation of physical and human capital in Latin America," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 281-295.
    5. Assist. Prof. Dr. Eglantina Hysa & Oltiana Nikolli, M.A., 2014. "Trade Effect On Economic Growth Of Balkan Countries," Revista Tinerilor Economisti (The Young Economists Journal), University of Craiova, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, vol. 1(23), pages 109-120, November.
    6. Cuevas, Mario & Lée, Sigfrido & Pineda, Bismarck, 2010. "Industrial Policy in Guatemala: A Case of Policy Inertia under Changing Paradigms," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 3027, Inter-American Development Bank.
    7. David Colman, 2010. "Agriculture's terms of trade: issues and implications," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 41(s1), pages 1-15, November.
    8. Justin Yifu Lin & David Rosenblatt, 2012. "Shifting patterns of economic growth and rethinking development," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(3), pages 171-194, September.
    9. Mohsen Bahmani-Oskooee & Tsangyao Chang & Zahra (Mila) Elmi & Omid Ranjbar, 2018. "Re-testing Prebisch–Singer hypothesis: new evidence using Fourier quantile unit root test," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(4), pages 441-454, January.
    10. Marc Badia†Miró & Anna Carreras†Marín & Christopher M. Meissner, 2018. "Geography, policy, or productivity? Regional trade in five South American countries, 1910–50," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 71(1), pages 236-266, February.
    11. Cécile Couharde & Vincent Géronimi & Armand Taranco, 2012. "Les hausses récentes des cours des matières premières traduisent-elles l'entrée dans un régime de prix plus élevés ?," Revue Tiers-Monde, Armand Colin, vol. 0(3), pages 13-34.
    12. Olle Östensson & Anton Löf, 2017. "Downstream activities: The possibilities and the realities," WIDER Working Paper Series 113, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    13. Teixidó-Figueras, J. & Duro, J.A., 2014. "Spatial Polarization of the Ecological Footprint Distribution," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 93-106.
    14. Tromben, Varinia & Jiménez, Juan Pablo, 2006. "Fiscal policy and the commodities boom: the impact of higher prices for non-renewables in Latin America and the Caribbean," Revista CEPAL, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), December.
    15. Aaron Yao Efui Ahali & Ishmael Ackah, 2015. "Are They Predisposed to the Resources Curse? Oil in Somalia," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 5(1), pages 231-245.
    16. Paola Perez-Aleman & Flavia Chaves Alves, 2017. "Reinventing industrial policy at the frontier: catalysing learning and innovation in Brazil," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 10(1), pages 151-171.
    17. Andre Nassif & Carmem Aparecida Feijo & Eliane Araújo, 2016. "Structural change, catching up and falling behind in the BRICS: A comparative analysis based on trade pattern and Thirlwall’s Law," PSL Quarterly Review, Economia civile, vol. 69(279), pages 373-421.
    18. Giovanni Dosi & Andrea Roventini & Emmanuele Russo, 2020. "Public Policies And The Art Of Catching Up," Working Papers hal-03242369, HAL.
    19. A. Patrick Behrer & Edward L. Glaeser & Giacomo A. M. Ponzetto & Andrei Shleifer, 2021. "Securing Property Rights," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(4), pages 1157-1192.
    20. Ben-Salha, Ousama & Dachraoui, Hajer & Sebri, Maamar, 2021. "Natural resource rents and economic growth in the top resource-abundant countries: A PMG estimation," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:ajecsc:v:79:y:2020:i:1:p:25-47. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0002-9246 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.