Cato has a new project on "Defending Globalization," with a number of contributions so far and more coming. Here's the description:
Globalization faces renewed attention—and criticism. Like any market phenomenon, the free movement of people, things, money, and ideas across natural or political borders is imperfect and often disruptive. But it has also produced undeniable benefits—for the United States and the world—that no other system can match. And it’s been going on since the dawn of recorded history.
Scott Lincicome's introductory essay on the project is here: https://www.cato.org/publications/introducing-defending-globalization-new-cato-institute-project
And there are seven subject matter essays so far:
- Comparative Advantage, by Don Boudreaux: https://www.cato.org/publications/comparative-advantage
- Globalization Creates a Global Neighborhood, Benefiting All, by Deirdre McCloskey: https://www.cato.org/publications/economics-history-globalization
- The Dangers of Misunderstanding Economic Interdependence, by Dan Drezner: https://www.cato.org/publications/dangers-misunderstanding-economic-interdependence
- The Misplaced Nostalgia for a Less Globalized Past, by Daniel Griswold: https://www.cato.org/publications/misplaced-nostalgia-less-globalized-past
- U.S. Immigration Policy Lags Behind a Globalizing World, by David Bier: https://www.cato.org/publications/us-immigration-policy-lags-behind-globalizing-world
- Why Do We Need Trade Agreements At All?, by Simon Lester https://www.cato.org/publications/why-do-we-need-trade-agreements-all
- Globalization Isn’t Going Anywhere, by Scott Lincicome: https://www.cato.org/publications/globalization-isnt-going-anywhere
My contribution is directed towards the libertarians who are pro-free trade but anti-trade agreement. Some of you may be unfamiliar with that type of thinking, but this statement from Ron Paul in 2008 is a good example:
I consider myself the strongest advocate of free trade. I don't want any tariffs and I don't want any barriers. I want to really trade. But I just don't like the international government organizations, because that becomes managed trade for the benefit of some companies. So I'm not much into nor do I support WTO [the World Trade Organization] and NAFTA [the North American Free Trade Agreement] and all these agreements, because those are only tools for when you're being undermined, you go there to get your tariffs put on, to try to get fair trade, so to speak. But that's managed trade.
My piece tries to explain to this kind of free trader that trade agreements are, on balance, trade liberalizing.
