Against the Tide: An Intellectual History of Free Trade
(Paperback)
Publishing Details
Against the Tide: An Intellectual History of Free Trade
By (Author) Douglas A. Irwin
Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press
24th March 1998
United States
Classifications
Professional and Scholarly
Non Fiction
Economic history
382.7109
Runner-up for Choice Magazine Outstanding Reference/Academic Book Award 1996
Physical Properties
Paperback
280
Width 152mm, Height 235mm
397g
Description
Free trade enjoys an intellectual status unrivalled by any other doctrine in the field of economics. Douglas Irwin explains how free trade achieved this position and has endured against the tide of abundent criticisms and theoretical challenges from Adam Smith's day through to the present. Irwin reveals the serious analytical and practical weaknesses of these criticisms and shows why free trade is among the most durable and robust propositions that economics has to offer for the conduct of economic policy.
Reviews
One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 1996 "Against the Tide...reviews thinking on free trade from ancient times to the present day. It is encyclopedic in its scope, yet it is very well written and accessible to nonspecialists, fair to the critics of free trade while leaving no doubt that the author finds their argument fatally flawed."--Bruce Bartlett, The Wall Street Journal "Few economic debates have raised more emotion over the last two centuries than that between the champions of free trade and the advocates of protectionism. Irwin chronicles this controversy in great detail... The debate is still very much alive today--from EEC to NAFTA, to the campaign rhetoric in this year's presidential primaries."--Publishers Weekly "An entertaining, informative account of the emergence of the concept of free trade ... full of new insights and unexpected delights... A work that is not only interesting and inspiring but of great practical use."--Paul Krugman, Journal of Economic Literature "Against the Tide is an impressive intellectual achievement. As the history of an economic idea, it pays less attention to the political and economic setting in which different theories were promoted than to their analytical rigour... A delightful as well as an educational read. It should be a set text for anyone interested in trade policy."--The Economist
Author Bio
Douglas A. Irwin is Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College. He is the editor of Jacob Viner: Essays on the Intellectual History of Economics (Princeton).
