Free Trade Under Fire

by Douglas A. Irwin

Book Overview

The 1990s began with fears of a "great sucking sound" of jobs lost due to the North American Free Trade Agreement and ended with opponents of the World Trade Organization taking to the streets in the "Battle of Seattle." Why has global trade become so controversial? Does free trade deserve its bad reputation? In Free Trade under Fire , Douglas Irwin sweeps aside the misconceptions that litter the debate over trade and gives the reader a clear understanding...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691088438
• ISBN13: 9780691088433
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

makes free trade understandable

The first chapter is a bit of a slog, but after that the book flows better. Certainly, the book is biased in favor of free trade, but the author clearly spells out its merits, and leaves the reader convinced. If you want to learn more about the topic, this book is worth the read.

An Economists Defense of Free Trade

This book makes a reasonably decent defense of free trade. It speaks in predominantly layman's terms, and is entertaining enough to hold the layman's attention. Irwin does a good job refuting the most patently ridiculous claims that free trade victimizes those it employs and other silly claims. It doesn't do the best job demonstrating that trade with developing countries benefits wealthy nations, however. It does try to do so, and offers some evidence, but I wish the book had made a stronger effort in this area as this is where most protectionists simply cite the trade deficit as manifest evidence that we are worse off in free trade, without understanding that our standard of living rises when we have cheap goods, and the market for our high skill jobs and products increases as developing countries grow wealthier. The book does bring up a good point of accounting balance, noting that foreign investment in the U.S. offsets the trade deficit, but I fear that most protectionists are sufficiently xenophobic that this argument is likely to scare them rather than reassure them.

The case for free trade

Irwin's book, together with Bhagwati's Free Trade today,makes a strong case for free trade. The argument is clear andthe book is easy to read and full of evidence supportingfree trade. Among other topics, the author discussesthe harmful effects of protection on developing/developed economies, trade and the environmentand the role of WTO. Irwin's book is non-technicaland more historical than Bhagwati's. The latteris more theoretical, at least in some parts, but alsoa great read. For arguments against free trade usingeconomic theory see "trade warriors" by Marc Busch or " global Trade and Conflicting National Interests" by Ralph E. Gomory, William J. Baumol

Necessity to arguing

Doesnt it always seem that your friends subscribe to the wrong views, and you to the right one? Well, at least for me it is. Whether your pals are from the anarchist wing or the Pat Buchanan camp, or even deviate just a little from your (correct) free trade stance, you should read this book. And even if you believe in the unholy stance of skepticism of free trade , you should read it too, for "The Economist" said that if this book doesnt convince anti-free traders, nothing will; so go ahead and test your faithfulness.I am not an economist, and I hate reading economics text books filled with useless jargon. Before reading some great books, economics was as complicated as chemistry, physics or calculas to me. But after reading a few books, "Lexus and the Olive Tree", "Mystery of Capital" and "Peddling Prosperty", I realized that it isn't that complicated, its just the economists who create this aura of an esoteric subject. This book is written in simple language, but when it does use phrases that regular people don't understand, he does something rare - he explains their meaning. This is an excellent book, but only after reading The Lexus and the Olive Tree. Tom Friedman's book is the main weapon in my debating arsenal, and "Free Trade Under Fire" book gives me a large cache of ammunition, as do Peddling Prospery (or anything else by Paul Krugman like Pop Internationalism, another MUST read), and Henrando de Soto's masterpiece "The Mystery of Capital"(dont even look at his "Other Path", it is simplified and better argued in this "Mystery").Highly Recommended

Reading This Book Will Make You Smarter

I have had the honor of having the author of this book as a professor in college. Not surprisingly he teaches classes dealing with international trade. All I can say is that he is an economist of the highest order and that he is capable of taking some extrodinarily difficult concepts and explaining them with a level of clarity that make them seem obvious. He takes this teaching approach to his book, making it both intelligent and approachable. If you ever actually wanted to know anything about international trade and even be able to discuss in a relevant manner the points at hand, read this book. You will be smarter for having done so.