National Development Over Free Trade - List was critical of the classical liberal economics represented by Adam Smith and David Ricardo, particularly their advocacy for laissez-faire and free trade. He argued that free trade could be detrimental to countries that were not yet industrially developed. He believed that nations needed to protect their emerging industries from foreign competition until they could compete on equal terms., Infant Industry Argument - List's most famous contribution is the "infant industry" argument for protectionism. He proposed that protective tariffs should be used to shield new industries in their early stages, allowing them time to grow and mature. Once these industries were strong enough, they could then compete internationally, and tariffs could be gradually reduced., Productive Powers - List emphasized the development of a nation's "productive powers" rather than just focusing on static efficiency and comparative advantage. He argued that economic policy should aim at increasing a country's capacity for production through infrastructure, education, technology, and industrial development., Stages of Economic Growth - He viewed economic development as occurring in stages. Initially, agriculture might dominate, but as a country progresses, it should move towards more industrial and technological advancement. This required not just protection but also government investment in infrastructure like roads, canals, and later railways., Nationalism and Economic Policy - List saw economic policy as intertwined with national identity and strength. He believed that economic development was crucial for national power, independence, and security. This idea was quite contrary to the cosmopolitan views of classical economists who often saw economic activities transcending national boundaries., Critique of Cosmopolitanism - He criticized the cosmopolitan views of economists like Smith, who advocated for international division of labor based on then-existing comparative advantages. List argued that this would lock less developed countries into perpetual dependency., Role of the State - List advocated for an active role of the state in economic development. This included not only protection through tariffs but also direct investment in strategic industries and infrastructure, which he saw as prerequisites for industrial growth., Balanced Development - He also believed in the importance of balanced regional development within a country. Not all regions could or should industrialize at the same pace, but there should be an overall strategy to ensure that different parts of a nation could support each other economically. List's ideas were influential in shaping economic policies in several countries, particularly Germany during its industrialization, but also in the U.S. during its early industrial development. His theories provide a foundation for what later became known as developmental economics, where the state plays a pivotal role in guiding economic development towards industrialization and technological advancement.,

Friedrich List - key economic ideas

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