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Free Trade Essay

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Free Trade Essay
Drawing upon the arguments for free trade, discuss if free trade is fair. Prepare your academic paper that outlines the potential costs and benefits of adopting a free trade system in the textiles industry. Also discuss if government policies to reduce these costs are justifiable given the gains from free trade.

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
In this essay I shall consider the question if free trade is fair? I will be drawing up arguments in order to answer what the potential costs and benefits of adopting a free trade system are in the textile industry. Discussion will also be made on policies to reduce these costs and if they are justifiable given the gains from free trade. From research on the topic I have come across many different articles and stories on how peoples reflection on free trade is sparsely different. Depending on views of life, quality of life but also age and education level, changes how people feel on the issue. In one article, research had been done with 1,502 adults in America in order to hear the public’s reaction on free trade, overall results showed many different signs from people with higher household income saying they feel more aided by free trade agreements, to people with less high school qualifications feeling least aided by free trade. From (figure 1) you can see some results, which were found from the study produced by PEW Research Centre. The research was done to find out what Americans felt about free trade and gives an insight into how split opinions are. From other sources of study I found that many charitable sites and quotations where similar in saying things like ‘Trade can play a role in lifting countries out of poverty. But rich countries continue to push trade rules that prevent development. We want an international trade system that will help end poverty.’ This is a quote from the action aid site, the article goes on to say how there needs to be some sort of representation for countries in poverty in order for the rich



Bibliography: Action Aid. (2012). Free Trade isn 't Fair Trade. Available: http://www.actionaid.org.uk/100040/trade.html. [Last accessed 17th Jan 2012.] Department For Business Innovation & Skills. (2012). Free Trade. Available: http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/trade-policy-unit/free-trade. [Last accessed 20th Jan 2012.] Eisenberg, J. (2005). Free Trade vs. Fare Trade. Available: http://www.globalenvision.org/library/15/834. [Last accessed 20th Jan 2012.] Hazard, L. (2008). whose to blame: government policies or free trade?. Available: http://www.globalenvision.org/2008/02/12/whose-blame-government-policies-or-free-trade. [Last accessed 20th Jan 2012.] Larson, J. (1993). The History of "Free Trade". Available: http://www.elegant-technology.com/TVAfretr.html. [Last accessed 15th Jan 2012.] PEW Research Centre. (2006). Free Trade Agreements Get A Mixed Review. Available: http://www.people-press.org/2006/12/19/free-trade-agreements-get-a-mixed-review/. [Last accessed 17th Jan 2012.] The Economist. (2002). Tangled Up In Textiles. Available: http://www.economist.com/node/1059386. [Last accessed 19th Jan 2012.] White, D. (2010). Pros & Cons of Free Trade Agreements. Available: http://usliberals.about.com/od/theeconomyjobs/i/FreeTradeAgmts_2.htm. [Last accessed 16th Jan 2012.]

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