This week we’re going to talk about Mercantilism, or for the more modern term, Protectionism, or, those lovely lovely steel tariffs that you’re not allowed to criticize lest you be labelled as unpatriotic. No you America haters, you should love all taxes.
But in all seriousness, Mercantilism is an old philosophy. We’ll look at the different permutations it’s take over time, and we’ll answer the question: “Is there anything else to Protectionism, or is it just politicians who want a piece of the action?”
Viewings
Save the banana industry! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw7PUrgU3N0
How far will a city go to attract the bigger business? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_eG7leM6ew
Explaining Mercantilism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlOdf_o7yu8
Comparative advantage and the division of labour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfABcl-2RZg&t=56s
Listenings
A smuggler’s song, by NOT Rudyard Kipling https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JskyLN805aA
Readings
Smuggler’s Song by Rudyard Kipling: http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/poems_smuggler.htm
Tariffs and Prosperity by Jeffrey Tucker https://www.aier.org/article/no-mr-president-tariffs-do-not-cause-prosperity
Mises on Protectionism and Immigration https://mises.org/library/mises-protectionism-and-immigration