Are tariffs a viable option for protection in todays global economy

[Benton]

(01-25-2018, 10:46 PM)CKwi88 Wrote: I'm no economist, but I imagine that tariffs pretty much just result in a higher price for consumers or the company taking there business elsewhere, providing less competition and allowing a company to charge more.

So yeah, the consumer is the one hurt most in the end I would think.

(01-26-2018, 01:33 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: That is one possibility.  Another is that tariffs make imports from countries that pay their workers near slave wages comparable in price to products made by companies in this country , or others like it, that pay their employees a living wage.  What isn't disputable is that the exodus of manufacturing jobs to countries that pay minimal wages has had a profound impact on the working middle class in the United States.  As the middle class is the primary source of job creation, because they buy things that must be produced by others, this is a net loss for developed nations like the United States.

But hey, I'm no economist either.

Companies in some industries are faced with a choice: manufacture in countries with low wages and the ability to import cheaply or manufacture in countries with higher wages and the ability to import cheaply. Tariffs can encourage them to manufacture in countries with higher wages, and presumably better working conditions.