Free Trade or Sustainable Trade? An Ecological Economics Perspective
Author(s)
Harris, Jonathan M.
Abstract
Free trade, as a theoretical idea as well as a policy goal, until recently has been virtually unassailable in economics. It is part of a holy trinity of concepts embodied in traditional economic thought as essential for improvement in human welfare: economic growth, technological progress, and free trade. Ecological economics challenges this concept by acknowledging the specific theoretical and practical problems with the standard model of free trade and rejecting the standard model in favor of an alternative conceptualization. The author argues that there are still clear benefits from trade in terms of increased efficiency, technology transfer, and the import/export of sustainably produced products, but that the effects of trade must be evaluated in terms of social and ecological impacts.
Pages
117-138
Article
Article Not Available
Source
Rethinking Sustainability: Power, Knowledge, and Institutions
