Page "Protectionism" Paragraph 35

Protectionism is frequently criticized by mainstream economists as harming the people it is meant to help.

Most mainstream economists instead support free trade.

Economic theory, under the principle of comparative advantage, shows that the gains from free trade outweigh any losses as free trade creates more jobs than it destroys because it allows countries to specialize in the production of goods and services in which they have a comparative advantage.

Protectionism results in deadweight loss ; this loss to overall welfare gives no-one any benefit, unlike in a free market, where there is no such total loss.

According to economist Stephen P. Magee, the benefits of free trade outweigh the losses by as much as 100 to 1.