Books by Douglas A. Irwin

The author argues that a tax on imports commensurately creates a tax on exports, and that trade imbalances reflect capital flows between countries.

This book presents, for the first time, a detailed transcription of Jacob Viner's Economics 301 class as taught in 1930

This book presents, for the first time, a detailed transcription of Jacob Viner's Economics 301 class as taught in 1930

Explains how the idea of free trade has endured against the tide of the criticisms that have been leveled against it from the ancient world and Adam Smith's day. This book allows the reader to put the guises of protectionist thinking into the context of the past and discover why the idea of free trade has so successfully prevailed over time.

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-and trade agreements such as NAFTA-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 fourth edition has been thoroughly updated to include the most recent policy developments and the latest research findings on the impact of trade.