Should the U.S. Restrict Free Trade?

Should the U.S. Restrict Free Trade?

We all read about free trade, but do we truly understand its real world effects? So many of our possessions, from the clothes we wear to the foods we eat, come to us as imports. Is free trade the solution to high prices, or is the real cost more than we bargained for?

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NCPA

Free Trade Necessary for Economic Growth

National Center for Policy Analysis

Market-friendly, liberalizing policies help facilitate growth. If any single measure signals that policies are moving in the right direction, it is the growth rate of a country's exports.

 

In almost every successful economic growth episode, exports grow faster than GDP, and usually much faster, even after adjusting for price inflation. This can be shown by examining 59 high-growth episodes that occurred in 41 countries from 1960 to 2001.

Overall:

 

  •          Exports grew over 2 percentage points faster in 37 cases and faster by over 4 percentage points in 21 of the 59 cases.
  •         Exports grew faster by 5 percentage points or more in 18 of the 59 cases.

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Restrictions on Free Trade?

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