Thursday , April 25 2024
Home / Naked Keynesianism / Robert Wade on Trumponomics vs. Free Trade

Robert Wade on Trumponomics vs. Free Trade

Summary:
Echoing some of the arguments discussed here in the blog (for a list of posts on free trade go here, and for the effect of free trade on the Trump election here, here and here) Robert Wade suggests that the economics profession defense of "Free Trade" might have something to do with the election of Trump. Wade's phrase is perfect (apparently Adrian Wood came up with it): "Like Gresham’s Law, 'alternative facts' drive out facts." The alternative fact here is the theory of comparative advantage and the notion that free trade is the best of all possible policies for all countries (and people within the country) at all times. As Keynes, quoted in Wade's epigraph, said: “Free trade assumes that if you throw men out of work in one direction you re-employ them in another. As soon as that link is broken the whole of the free-trade argument breaks down”(J. M. Keynes, evidence to the Macmillan Committee on Finance and Industry, 1930) Read paper here.

Topics:
Matias Vernengo considers the following as important: , , ,

This could be interesting, too:

Bill Haskell writes Trump’s election interference trial in Manhattan

Matias Vernengo writes Keynes’ denial of conflict: a reply to Professor Heise’s critique

Angry Bear writes Forget them the Supreme Court and the Constitution. We are on Our Own

Angry Bear writes What Judge Luttig’s Report Reveals

Echoing some of the arguments discussed here in the blog (for a list of posts on free trade go here, and for the effect of free trade on the Trump election here, here and here) Robert Wade suggests that the economics profession defense of "Free Trade" might have something to do with the election of Trump.
Wade's phrase is perfect (apparently Adrian Wood came up with it): "Like Gresham’s Law, 'alternative facts' drive out facts." The alternative fact here is the theory of comparative advantage and the notion that free trade is the best of all possible policies for all countries (and people within the country) at all times. As Keynes, quoted in Wade's epigraph, said:
“Free trade assumes that if you throw men out of work in one direction you re-employ them in another. As soon as that link is broken the whole of the free-trade argument breaks down”(J. M. Keynes, evidence to the Macmillan Committee on Finance and Industry, 1930)
Read paper here.
Matias Vernengo
Econ Prof at @BucknellU Co-editor of ROKE & Co-Editor in Chief of the New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *