Is it time to write the obituary for the era of free trade?

Proponents of free trade have had a rough time of it lately. The trade dispute between the U.S. and China that began in the first Trump administration has become an all-out war — pulling Mexico, Canada and possibly Europe into the fray — in the second. Which raises the questions: Is this the end of the era of free trade? And if so, what replaces it? Marc Fasteau and Ian Fletcher have one answer. They’re the authors of the new book Industrial Policy for the United States: Winning the Competition for Good Jobs and High-Value Industries. In this first of a two-part conversation, they trace the history and philosophy of free trade, to support their argument that it’s an unrealistic policy to follow, at a time when virtually all U.S. trading partners maintain their own set of “unfair” trade practices. It’s time, they argue, for a new industrial policy. And in the next episode, they’ll explain just what that policy should look like. Hosted by Bob Bowman, Editor-in-Chief of SupplyChainBrain.

Show notes:

Fasteau and Fletcher’s book, Industrial Policy for the United States: Winning the Competition for Good Jobs and High-Value Industries.