Economic ideologies
Protectionism harms consumers and the environment
IPN Opinion article
Proposals to restrict imports from countries which do not reduce greenhouse gas emissions are simply protectionism. They would decrease world trade, disproportionately harming poorer countries, and favour the status quo by rewarding inefficient producers and thus delaying the adoption of cleaner, resource-saving technologies.
The Role of Trade for Development
As the future of the Doha Round becomes ever more uncertain, protectionist sentiment is building up in the USA, Europe and developing countries. Fredrik Erikson (ECIPE) will discuss how trade can help economic development, and prospects for the future of the multilateral trading regime.
World Trade Begins at Home
IPN Opinion article
The rhetoric about who is to blame for failing to conclude trade agreements between Europe and Africa obscures a far more important point: Africa is never going to get rich while its governments restrict trade between its own countries, EU deals or not.
Taxing the sick
IPN Opinion article
Like many of its neighbours, Tanzania has condemned its poor to paying higher prices for medicine in order to help the prosperous owners of inefficient local drug companies: this is the true face of protectionism and it is a major obstacle to international trade agreement in the Doha 'Development Round.'
20/20 vision for policy makers
IPN Opinion article
"Economic performance is in a country's direct control, not dependent on variables such as natural resources, climate, size, race, culture or arable land, nor on external factors such as colonial history, foreign aid or tariff barriers. Poor countries do not face any special barrier to growth: the poor get poorer only when they have poor policies..."
