5 (Non-)Knowledge, Political Economy and Trade Policy in Seventeenth-Century France: The Problem of Trade Balances

2016 ◽  
pp. 139-156 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Gerlach

Abstract This paper focuses on the diffusion of 無為/ wu-wei (an ancient Chinese concept of political economy) throughout Europe, between 1648 and 1848. It argues that at the core of this diffusion process were three significant developments; first, the importation and active transmission of wu-wei by the Low Countries during the seventeenth century. It is revealed that the details of Chinese expertise entered Europe via the textual diffusion of Jesuit texts and the visual diffusion of millions of so-called minben-images during the ceramic boom of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Thus, the hypothesis is advanced that the diffusion of wu-wei, co-evolved with the inner-European laissez-faire principle, the Libaniusian model. In the second part, it is shown that the intellectual foundation of Europe’s first economic school, Physiocracy, is a direct replica of the imported Chinese economic, agrarian craftsmanship of wu-wei; subsequently, it is denied that the indigenous European Libaniusian ideology can be considered the intellectual master-model of Physiocracy and his founder Quesnay. Finally, we argue that Switzerland can be identified as the first European paradigm state of wu-wei. The crystallization process of wu-wei inside Europe ultimately ended with the economic-political reorganization of the newly formed Eidgenossenschaft in 1848. The Swiss succeeded in institutionally transforming traditional Chinese agrarian wu-wei into the modern version of European “commercial wu-wei”. In due course, this alpine paradigm enabled the endogenous Libaniusian model to verify and reflect upon its theory of commercial society. Additionally, this third focus also demonstrates that the later development of Europe’s laissez-faire doctrine has to be seen as a Eurasian co-production – without importing China’s wu-wei, Europe’s pro-commercial ideology might never have matured.


2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (5) ◽  
pp. 48-65
Author(s):  
ONYSHCHENKO Volodymyr

Background. Dynamic changes in international economic relations and trade for thorough analysis and forecasting require an adequate paradigm of international trade theory, which would take into account not only economic and political factors of its development, but also the diverse civilizational context of the world community, which determines mental, social and cultural features of the development of a country. Problem research state. Problems of political economy in international trade to some extent affect the research of P. Krugman, M. Obstfeld, J. Frieden, E. Helpman, P. S. Afontsev, A. Mazaraki, T. Melnyk, V. Panchenko, N. Reznikova and others. But the structure of its methodological discourse and the subject of its research remain unclear. The aim of the articleis to clarify the political and economic discourse of the theory of international trade. Materials and methods. The materials of the research were the works of domestic and foreign specialists. In the process of preparing the article, general scientific research methods were used: historical, logical analysis, synthesis and abstraction. Results. Political economy is a normative manifestation of economic theory, which is formed under the influence of socio-economic and political concepts, the formed goals of social development. The subject of political economy of international trade – economic and socio-political relations that determine and accompany international trade and determine the goals and content of trade policy of its subjects. It is proposed to expand the mechanism of formation of relative advantages and trade policy of the country by including factors that determine not only its economic potential and specialization, but also the risks that may be caused by political decisions. It is argued that the problem of «protectionism vs liberalism» in international trade at the state level will always exist. It turns out that the problem of justice in international economic relations and trade is determined by the civilizational content of the development of countries, in which human capital plays a crucial role. Conclusion. The paradigm of political economy in international trade should be based on an expanded interpretation of relative benefits by assessing the impact of economic, social and political institutionson them, the peculiarities of national trade policies.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document