Many US companies are outsourcing to other countries in order to reduce costs. However, one reason for foreign countries ability to reduce costs, sans wage differences, is foreign government subsidies. How is this viewed in the Austrian Framework?
Are they actual subsidies, or are they lowered taxes?
Read Power and Market; Chapter 3; 3. Product Control: Grant of Monopolistic Privilege; E. Immigration Restrictions. It’s short, but here is the key point for your question:
AFAIK, if you protect your industries against competition from the imports, then you are punishing your export industries. You know, they exchange their stuff for your country’s money, because they are looking into buying some of the stuff you produce.
Anyway, even in the cases of trade imbalance, I don’t think is a bad thing, for the reasons you are asking about at least. Just started recently studying economics, so I’ll leave to those that do know what they are talking about. ![]()
Edit: I think you may find it useful to have a read of Ricardo’s Comparative Advantage Theory.
Lower costs are lower costs. If foreigners are paying subsidies to your industries, their loss is your gain.
The best thing to read about the ridiculous views of people against outsourcing is Frederic Bastiat’s work called “petition of the candlestick makers.” He brings the anti-outsourcing argument to its logical conclusion.
Assuming we take lower cost goods from subsidized foreign companies, isn’t that accepting a from of socialism? A form of a nanny government, thought not our nanny government?
We’re already victimized once, why be victimized twice by increasing costs even further?
It is most definitley not acceptist a form of socialism. Is it embracing capitalism. It is doing what is in your best financial intrest. Profit from it, use these cheap goods to create something in your higher technologically advanced industry.