The Iowa Car Crop: A Critical View of the Trade Efficiency and the Role of Protectionism

David Friedman’s Iowa Car thought that experiment challenges modern perceptions of production and international trade by showing how growing wheat can, in economic sense function as technology for car manufacturing in international trade. When a country exports wheat and import cars, it effectively transforms its agricultural surplus into industrial products through greater efficiency than domestic production. This classical view raises a critical question on the trade barriers imposed by government like tariffs and quotas that limit this process, resulting in inefficacy in resource allocation by producers. This article explores why Smith’s absolute advantage and Friedman’s comparative advantage are too simplistic to capture the complex realities of international trade. It focuses particularly on the rationale for the government-imposed trade barriers such as tariffs and quotas that force producers to be more wasteful and less efficient. It argues that trade barriers prioritize political, environmental and social concerns over the overall economic efficiency resulting to suboptimal results for consumers and producers in the international trade. The discussion recommends a more comprehensive framework through the dynamic comparative advantage and strategic trade theory.