Free tradeAbsence of government restriction on international tradeTrade as a share of global GDP (openness index).Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist political parties generally support protectionism, the opposite of free trade.Trade barrierTrade barriers are government-induced restrictions on international trade. Most trade barriers work on the same principle: the imposition of some sort of cost (money, time, bureaucracy, quota) on trade that alters the price or availability of the traded products. Barriers take the form of tariffs (which impose a financial burden on imports) and non-tariff barriers to trade (which uses other overt and covert means to restrict imports and occasionally exports).
Import substitution industrializationImport substitution industrialization (ISI) is a protectionisttrade and economicpolicy that advocates replacing foreign imports with domestic production. It is based on the premise that a country should attempt to reduce its foreign dependency through the local production of industrialized products.
TariffA tariff, or import tax, is a duty imposed by a national government, customs territory, or supranational union on imports of goods and is paid by the importer. Exceptionally, an export tax may be levied on exports of goods or raw materials and is paid by the exporter. Besides being a source of revenue, import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade and policy that burden foreign products to encourage or safeguard domestic industry.
Import quotaAn import quota is a type of trade restriction that sets a physical limit on the quantity of a good that can be imported into a country in a given period of time. An import embargo or import ban is essentially a zero-level import quota. Quotas, like other trade restrictions, are typically used to benefit the producers of a good in that economy (protectionism).
Economic policyEconomic policy is the set of government actions setting levels of taxation, government budgets, the money supply and interest rates, regulation of the labour market, and other actions that can affect the economy. Economic policy is a broad term for both the goals governments pursue and the tools they use.
Economic nationalismEconomic nationalism or nationalist economics is an ideology that prioritizes state intervention in the economy, including policies like domestic control and the use of tariffs and restrictions on labor, goods, and capital movement. The core belief of economic nationalism is that the economy should serve nationalist goals. As a prominent modern ideology, economic nationalism stands in contrast to economic liberalism and economic socialism.
TradeTrade is the act by which people swap something of value (such as products, resources, money) to obtain another valuable item. It involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity (seller) to another (buyer), often in exchange for money.
Economic liberalismEconomic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalism, and his writing is generally regarded as representing the economic expression of 19th-century liberalism up until the Great Depression and rise of Keynesianism in the 20th century.Economic growthMeasure of increase in market value of goodsHistoric world GDP per capitaCountries by real GDP growth rate in % for 2024 (IMF WEO database) Real GDP per capita growth in % for 2025 In economics, economic growth is an increase in the quantity and quality of the economic goods and services that a society produces. It can be measured as the increase in the inflation-adjusted output of an economy in a given year or over a period of time.Douglas IrwinDouglas A. Irwin is the John French Professor of Economics in the Economics Department at Dartmouth College and the author of seven books. He is an expert on both past and present U.S. trade policy, especially policy during the Great Depression. He is frequently sought by media outlets such as The Economist and Wall Street Journal to provide comment and his opinion on current events.Government revenueGovernment revenue or national revenue is money received by a government from taxes and non-tax sources to enable it, assuming full resource employment, to undertake non-inflationary public expenditure. Government revenue as well as government spending are components of the government budget and important tools of the government's fiscal policy.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.