If free trade is of such obvious benefit, why are so many countries protectionist?
Because it is not “such obvious benefit” as some might think. There are things such as European laws, for instance. Still, most countries have their own, very specific laws that don´t match their neighbours´ countries´ laws. If company A in country A pays their workers 5 dollars per hour and company B in country B pays theirs 1 dollar per hour, the work will be given to company B just because it is cheaper. Can people live off 1 dollar per hour in country B? We don´t know. What about the workers in country A who do great work and get paid reasonably, will they lose their jobs because laws in country B force their employer to pay them more? Random examples of course and silly numbers. Free trade without any sort of regulations is not necessarily fair trade. It´s not a paradox, but it very well might be. Some countries are so protectionist, because they try to be protective. If you set up a minimum wage for workers in your country, it might result in your companies not getting any more o
