> Apart from the other downsides of protectionism, some of the most
striking
> examples of capitalist economic development --- e.g. Switzerland,
Belgium,
> Hong Kong and Singapore --- have occurred under export-oriented, minimal
> tariff regimes. Australia has experienced average annual growth in the
> region of 3% for about 10 years, now, after abandoning a high tariff
regime
> in the 1980s.
>
> In fact, given the diminutive internal markets in such cases, (relative)
> "free trade" was the only kind of policy framework which was likely to
> result in successful capitalist development.
===================
How about those nineteenth century lovers of free trade, the USA?
Also, in the nineteenth century the Swiss effectively had no patent regime and the Economist magazine was against patents and other forms of intellectual property vis a vis international trade.
There's a hell of alot more to free trade than tariff minimization:
----- Original Message ----- From: "pdavidso" <pdavidso at utk.edu> To: "Mason Clark" <masonc at ix.netcom.com> Cc: <pkt at csf.colorado.edu> Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2003 5:02 PM Subject: Re: More on Outsourcing and Offshoring
> >===== Original Message From Mason Clark <masonc at ix.netcom.com> =====
> >> It effectively makes for a borderless labor market in a global
experiment
> >> with the idea of "comparative advantage".
>
> Comparative advantage ASSUMES full employment of all resources before
and
> after trade and no movement of labor or capital across national
boundaries.
> If either of these assumptions are violated, then implications of
comparative
> advantage are NOT applicable!
>
>
> see my book FINANCIAL MARKETS, MONEY AND THE REAL WORLD (now in
paperback) for
> further analysis.
>
> Paul
>
> Paul Davidson
> Editor, Journal of Post Keynesian Economics
> University of Tennessee
> SMC 503
> Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-0550
> office phone #;(865)974-4221; office fax# (865)974-1686 or (865)974-4601
> home phone and fax # (865)692-0802
> email pdavidson at utk.edu
> http://econ.bus.utk.edu/davidsonextra/Davidson.html
>
>