CASE steps up in favor of free trade
Warsaw – the Center for Social and Economic Research, together with other think tanks allied in the Global Trade and Innovation Policy Alliance (GTIPA), released today a Joint Declaration of Mutual Interest in Trade and Globalization for the Benefit of All Peoples and Nations. The spread of populist and statist ideology has called into question the basic idea of free trade. CASE President Christopher Hartwell believes that “In a world that has seemingly forgotten the truths of the past two hundred years, that trade makes everyone better off, it is imperative that we continue to remind people of this fact. Economic rights are human rights, and governments should keep their hands off of voluntary and mutually beneficial transactions. CASE is proud to be part of this initiative and will never stop producing the evidence that trade is good, trade is right, and restrictions on trade are restrictions on human rights.”
CASE, together with members of the GTIPA, called on policymakers around the world to take three steps in defense and support of the global trading system.
- We call for a global reaffirmation of deeper and continued trade liberalization and global integration, including in service sectors.
- We call on the leading global multilateral organizations to adopt a new and more effective framework to effectively push back against a rising tide of mercantilism and export-led growth strategies.
- We call on all countries to adopt economic policies that spur productivity and innovation, including in both traded and non-traded sectors, because domestic economic policy failures are a significant irritant sustaining the backlash against trade.
The declaration was signed by the Center for Global Enterprise, Center for Social and Economic Research, Competere Free Market Foundation, Fundacion Idea, Geneva Network, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the Lisbon Council, the Shanghai Science and Technology Policy Institute, and Tic Tac de la CCIT.
The Global Trade and Innovation Policy Alliance (GTIPA) is a global network of independent think tanks that are supporters of greater global trade liberalization and integration. Opposed to trade-distorting “innovation mercantilist” practices, GTIPA helps to show were governments can play a proactive role in spurring greater innovation and productivity in their enterprises and economies.
For further information please contact Joanna Kędzierska: joanna.kedzierska@case-research.eu, 0048 222 062 930
