Free Trade

Free trade is a policy to eliminate discrimination against imports and exports. Buyers and sellers from different economies may voluntarily trade without a government applying tariffs, quotas, subsidies or prohibitions on goods and services. Free trade is the opposite of trade protectionism or economic isolationism.

Politically, a free-trade policy may be the absence of any trade policies, so a government doesn't need to take specific action to promote free trade. This hands-off stance is referred to as “laissez-faire trade” or trade liberalization. Governments with free-trade agreements do not necessarily abandon all control of import and export taxation. In modern international trade, few free trade agreements (FTAs) result in completely free trade.

• Free trade is a policy to eliminate discrimination against imports and exports.
• In modern international trade, few free trade agreements (FTAs) result in completely free trade.
• The United States does not have genuine free trade with other countries.

In a free-trade regime, both economies can experience faster growth rates. This exchange is no different from voluntary trade between neighbors, towns or states. Free trade enables companies to concentrate on manufacturing goods and services where they have a distinct comparative advantage, a benefit widely popularized book by economist David Ricardo in 1817 in On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation. By expanding the economy’s diversity of products, knowledge, and skills, free trade also encourages specialization and the division of labor.

Few issues separate economists from the general public as much as free trade. Research suggests that faculty economists at U.S. universities are seven times more likely to support free-trade policies than the general public. The U.S. economist Milton Friedman stated, “the economics profession has been almost unanimous on the subject of the desirability of free trade.” Despite this, experts have largely been unsuccessful in efforts to promote free-trade policies.

Free trade agreements (FTAs) are one of the best ways to open up foreign markets to U.S. exporters. They reduce barriers to U.S. exports, protect U.S. interests, and enhance the rule of law in the FTA partner country. Fewer trade barriers and the creation of more stable and transparent trading and investment environment make it easier and cheaper for U.S. companies to export their products and services to trading partner markets.

The U.S. government and the World Trade Organization publicly support greater cross-border trade in financial markets, including financial services. However, completely free trade is unlikely. There are many supranational regulatory organizations for financial markets, such as the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, the International Organization of Securities Commission (IOSCO) and the Committee on Capital Movements and Invisible Transactions. Increased access to foreign financial markets provides U.S. investors with a wider range of securities, currencies and financial products.

The United States does not have genuine free trade with other countries, including countries with whom it has FTAs. Many politicians oppose free trade on the basis that certain sectors, such as manufacturing, may suffer if forced to compete with foreign producers. Although consumers face higher prices and fewer choices under protectionist policies, movements to “buy American” typically generate widespread support.

Non-American sellers face barriers to entry and tariffs on imports. They must compete with subsidies for U.S. exports. Special interest groups have successfully lobbied to impose trade restrictions on hundreds of foreign products including steel, sugar, automobiles, milk, tuna, chicken, beef and denim garments.