Podcast Interview with Ha-Joon Chang re the Virtues of Protectionist Policies

It's difficult when talking about trade policy to get at the key
issues. But in this podcast conversation with Dr. Ha-Joon Chang of the
University of Cambridge everything is made clear.

Ha-Joon's latest book, Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the
Secret History of Capitalism, should be required reading for
everybody. The fact is, countries do not develop unless they practice
protectionism -- the history is irrefutable. The problem is, not only
have Americans (and others) forgotten our own history, the "free-
trade" ideology has become so deeply entrenched that it is now almost
impossible to point out the reality. That reality being political:
"free-trade" doctrines are merely a happy face glued to systematic
vulture capitalism -- predatory behavior by the very, very rich
against everybody else in the modern world, from developing societies
up to the most developed, including in particular the United States.

Here in the U.S. we're on the downslope of the arc of development;
more of the same takes us back to Hogarthian England, far from the
modern world. It would, indeed, be fortunate if we were to find our
salvation in the practical wisdom of a South Korean economist who
specializes in developmental economics...

This is an important topic that isn't often covered. If you find the
conversation interesting and useful and if you like it, as always,
please feel free to redistribute the link.

http://www.electricpolitics.com/podcast/2008/02/a_vultures_bonanza.html
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