Free Trade Today

Rating:
Summary: EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO READ
Review: Bhagwati is an extremely intelligent man. He has a lot of interesting information to share with us. Now, only if he could write better...this book is extremely difficult to read and and to understand. It is NOT recommended for those without excellent understanding of economic trade policy. There are many other better written books.

Rating:
Summary: EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO READ
Review: Don't let this slim volume lead you to believe this is a book of light reading. The essays it contains are extremely valuable and packed tight with information, insight, and great thinking.

There are also many very valuable footnotes that can lead you to deeper reading on the subject of the current state of thinking on the very important topic of Free Trade.

Dr. Bhagwati is a stalwart of Free Trade and has the intellectual and verbal firepower to stand up for this very important concept and its role in relieving poverty around the world. He isn't a beautiful writer, but he certainly is effective and I am so glad to be able to have his writing and thinking available to me.

This book is a fine addition and should be read by those on both sides of this issue with an open mind. Dr. Bhagwati is one of those important thinkers that will benefit your own thinking even when you disagree with them because it will force you to sharpen your own thinking and force you to build better arguments.

One of the great parts of the first essay is when he takes us through the sequence of thought as arguments were put forward, successfully attacked and new models were built, attacked, and re-built until the present day. He is also very honest about the current weaknesses in present models and possible paths to pursue as a way to solve them. Just very valuable stuff.

Rating:
Summary: Great Essays - Best If You Already Have Background
Review: Don't let this slim volume lead you to believe this is a book of light reading. The essays it contains are extremely valuable and packed tight with information, insight, and great thinking.

There are also many very valuable footnotes that can lead you to deeper reading on the subject of the current state of thinking on the very important topic of Free Trade.

Dr. Bhagwati is a stalwart of Free Trade and has the intellectual and verbal firepower to stand up for this very important concept and its role in relieving poverty around the world. He isn't a beautiful writer, but he certainly is effective and I am so glad to be able to have his writing and thinking available to me.

This book is a fine addition and should be read by those on both sides of this issue with an open mind. Dr. Bhagwati is one of those important thinkers that will benefit your own thinking even when you disagree with them because it will force you to sharpen your own thinking and force you to build better arguments.

One of the great parts of the first essay is when he takes us through the sequence of thought as arguments were put forward, successfully attacked and new models were built, attacked, and re-built until the present day. He is also very honest about the current weaknesses in present models and possible paths to pursue as a way to solve them. Just very valuable stuff.

Rating:
Summary: Not that difficult a read.
Review: Why do so many people rate this as a difficult read? I thought it was a well written book. I learned a few things from it too. For example, it never occurred to me that free trade treaties (bilateral agreements) are not really free trade. Read that book and find out why. I did think that he was a bit biased in favor of a certain third world country a bit. However, I don't think it was intentional on his part.