preview

Reducing Barriers to Free Trade Essay

Better Essays

Introduction Free trade has long be seen by economists as being essential in promoting effective use of natural resources, employment, reduction of poverty and diversity of products for consumers. But the concept of free trade has had many barriers to over come. Including government practices by developed countries, under public and corporate pressures, to protect domestic firms from cheap foreign products. But as history has shown us time and time again is that protectionist measures imposed by governments has almost always had negative effects on the local and world economies. These protectionist measures also hurt developing countries trying to inter into the international trade markets. With the recent global recession we …show more content…

2009). This in itself shows the high standards of sustainability can be made from free trade (Gidney, M. 2009). Fair trade provides two key benefits that can help with the current world economic crisis. First it provides sustained benefits for producers that can help maintain their business through fluctuations of the world market (Gidney, M. 2009). Second, fair trade helps to maintain fair prices, additional social premium, and long-term partnerships that help provide better living standards for millions of people in over 60 countries (Gidney, M. 2009). Free trade cannot grow without the aid of governments to help promote and sustain it. Governments must support free trade by first modifying current trade policies to remove barriers against free trade. Lastly governments must act and enforce regulations to protect against unfair trade practices.
What can Governments do to promote free trade? The basis of free trade is that in a growing economy the comparative-advantage shows that resources flow from lower productivity to those with higher productivity (Carbaugh, 2009). Along with increased employment in developing countries and higher standard of living, consumers benefit from more diversity on the market and cheaper prices. One of the baggiest challenges government’s faces is the pressure from public and domestic firms to protect the local work force from cheap foreign imports. Governments must find

Get Access