Free Trade under Fire: Third Edition - Softcover

Irwin, Douglas A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0691143153 ISBN 13: 9780691143156

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2009

Synopsis

Growing international trade has helped lift living standards around the world, and yet free trade is always under attack. Critics complain that trade forces painful economic adjustments, such as plant closings and layoffs of workers, and charge that the World Trade Organization serves the interests of corporations, undercuts domestic environmental regulations, and erodes America's sovereignty. 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 of the issues involved. This third edition has been thoroughly updated to include the latest developments in world trade--including the practice of off-shoring services, the impact of trade on wages, and the implications of trade with China-based on the latest research.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"An effective marshalling of evidence and ideas on the benefits of open trade is sorely needed and cogently provided in this timely work."--George Schultz, Former Secretary of State

"Free trade is the life blood of the postindustrial economy that has lifted living standards and productivity to levels never before imagined in human history. Douglas Irwin's Free Trade under Fire tells us why free trade is still important and makes the case that in the fight for free trade there are still important battles that must be won."--Michael Barone, Senior Writer, U.S. News & World Report, author of The New Americans and Our Country: The Shaping of America from Roosevelt to Reagan

"The miracle of trade is how it enriches both parties to the transaction. Douglas Irwin demonstrates with clarity and grace precisely how the benefits of this miracle dominate its costs. This book is must reading for all, and especially for those who would resist its powerful message."--Peter L. Bernstein, publisher of Economics & Portfolio Strategy and author of The Power of Gold: The History of an Obsession

"This is an important book that systematically reviews objections to free trade and provides a good assessment of the state of current thinking among economists."--Anne O. Krueger, Stanford University

"This is a great book that reviews the case for free trade from an American point of view. Passionate in its arguments, it marshals a large body of evidence--including much that is very recent--into a manageable shape while contributing to the wider debate over free trade."--L. Alan Winters, University of Sussex

From the Inside Flap:

This is a great book that reviews the case for free trade from an American point of view. Passionate in its arguments, it marshals a large body of evidence--including much that is very recent--into a manageable shape while contributing to the wider debate over free trade.

About this edition

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0691143153
• ISBN 13: 9780691143156
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 328