Free trade or fair trade?

"Free trade is God's diplomacy," wrote tariff reformer Richard Cobden in 1857. One supporter was so taken with economic theory that he founded a magazine and the prospectus for The Economist read: "We seriously believe that free trade will do more than any other visible agent to extend civilization and morality throughout the world." Quite appropriately, the Economist is currently having one of its enlightening online debates on just this subject – if equitable behavior and the future of trade are of interest to you, may we suggest you drop in to see some of the world's best minds debate whether making trade fairer is more important than making it freer. Voting is running 55-45 in favor of the motion with two days to run.

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