Against the Tide: An Intellectual History of Free Trade.

• Author: Crucini, Mario J.

By Douglas A. Irwin.

Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996. Pp. viii, 265. $29.95.

Irwin's book begins with a quotation of Harry Johnson (1977): "The proposition that freedom of [international] trade is on the whole economically more beneficial than protection, is one of the most fundamental propositions economic theory has to offer for the guidance of economic policy." Irwin's history chronicles the theoretical arguments for and against free trade and the emergence of a consensus in its favor that Johnson's statement so eloquently summarizes.

The book does not cover the implication of Johnson's statement for the conduct of commercial policy. As someone with an interest in both trade theory and commercial policy, I thought I would be cheated out of half of the story. After reading the book, I have arrived at an entirely different conclusion. Irwin's decision not to delve into the history of commercial policy contributes to the clarity of his message.

The voices that we hear in Against the Tide: An Intellectual History of Free Trade are recognized as belonging to scholars keenly interested in their subject matter. What makes this book a joy to read is the sense that Irwin has assembled everyone in a single room to debate each issue on its merits. An invitation is extended to an economist yet unborn if only to ensure an argument progresses or dies a timely death, and an economist from the past arrives to the chagrin of some whippersnapper who has taken his argument out of context. For the most part, however, the book follows an historical chronology that is divided into two major parts.

The first part, titled "Origins of the Free Trade Doctrine," traces the debate from its origins in the writings of philosophers, clergy, and political leaders into the mercantilist literature and ends with the contributions of the classical school. The second part of the book, "Controversies about the Free Trade Doctrine," devotes a chapter to each of eight arguments against, or qualifications of, free trade policy. The final chapter, "The Past and Future of Free Trade," summarizes the book and places the free trade debate into a broader context.

The structure of Irwin's book also serves to highlight its two main conclusions - first, that the writing of the classicists represented an abrupt improvement in the formalism of economic analysis and, second, that the forward progress of economic theory eventually revealed weaknesses in many of the arguments against free trade, eroding their appeal, while increasing the consensus in...