... argument. Mercantilism, with it's main idea that wealth is finite and should therefore be kept in the country by encouraging exports and stopping imports, has long gone out of fashion. The argument goes that free trade is the way to optimise world output and income levels in the long run. The problem is that it is possible that individual countries may still gain from protectionism of some sort, the government protects it's own industry through tariffs, the firms can then compete at a lower price in foreign markets and the government earns a handsome revenue from increased corporate profits and the tariffs on foreign goods in general. Even the USA are not immune to this temptation, the recent steel tariffs of 30% on foreign steel are a proof of that (though some tariffs have already been reduced again, thanks to WTO mediation) The issue evolves around the prisoner's dilemma, with ...

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