A favoured argument in defence of tariffs, quotas and other trade barriers is to shield emerging (or ‘infant’) industries from foreign competition during a period of establishment and early growth. By temporarily raising the cost of imports, governments can give an industry breathing space to build up a critical mass of capacity and talent, which would otherwise risk being snuffed out.
Critics would say that this infant industry motivation often falls short in practice: at what point can the ‘infant’ be considered to have grown up, such that trade barriers are no longer required? What if the ‘infant’ never really grows up?
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