Very strange to see the infant industry argument is so popular here. I voted "no" although the question's quite broad even with the options provided. Is infant industry the moderate hero option?
Yes, when a nation is industrializing, its's infant industries need protection. However, after they have been established, free trade benefits everyone.
yeah, it sure has benefited those industrial workers who went from making $25/hour+benefits to making $7.25/hour part-time with no benefits at McDonald's amirite
No, we just have to act as if everything is alright and that if you just get one more job then you can have your ends meet. Suburban kids talking about how "free trade benefits everyone" is extremely laughable.
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When people say "free trade benefits everyone" they mean that the net benefit to society (at home and abroad!) is far greater than than the loss, which has been historically pretty well supported by the evidence. Most people in the United States are far better off as a result of free trade, even if some industries suffer.
In any event, the idea that trade has been primarily responsible for the decline in US manufacturing is a canard. If you're looking for something to blame, blame productivity gains and start smashing automated assembly lines with a hammer.
Matt Yglesias, who has in fact jumped on the anti-TTIP bandwagon, literally published something on this very topic yesterday. Manufacturing output is actually at its highest level ever, which means that protectionism would be of zero use (and massively harmful given that manufacturing goods are primarily exported) to the "industrial worker" forced into a less attractive job. Yglesias provides this convenient chart c/o Pew:
So free trade are okay with no other countries?
Trade is the most efficient way to get said countries to improve their record in all aspects listed. Unless you'd prefer that people in those countries suffer unemployment in addition to the poor human and labour rights and a bad environment.
In summary,
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