Economic Nationalism, The Left and the World Economy

This paper argues that the adoption of ad hoc protectionist politics by the trade union leadership fails to address effectively the issues of job loss and managerial control of production. Instead, protectionist policies actually weaken trade union power in both the short term and long term.The essay proposes an alternative strategy. It is possible for labor to demand protection against the anarchy of accumulation while avoiding demobilizing alliances with the corporate world. If full employment policies require trade and capital controls, then protectionism should be supported, but only in the context of the actual implementation of those proworker macroeconomic policies.