The Concept of Educational Protectionism: Prospects and Risks of Adoption in the Context of the Destruction of Trade Relations in the 21st Century

Among the fundamental problems of both economic policy and economic theory, remains the question of the choice between protecting the principle of free trade and protecting domestic production through protectionist measures. Friedrich List’s alternative (both for classical liberalism and mercantilism) concept of educational protectionism made a major contribution to economic theory. Within the framework of this article, it is proposed to consider the possibility of implementing List’s main ideas (prospects of universal association, problems of permanent restrictive measures, difficulties of regulation in the agricultural sector) in the socio-economic realities of the 20th and 21st centuries. It was shown that in the 20th century the dispute between classical liberals and mercantilists was in some way repeated in the form of the dispute between the liberal “end of history” theory (F. Fukuyama) and the peripheral capitalism theory (R. Prebisch, I. Wallerstein). It can be concluded that at the present time hopes for the possibility of overcoming protectionist barriers within the WTO have not been justified; the process of Russia’s accession to this organization was analyzed. The ideas of protectionism have become especially relevant in recent years due to the international trend of expanding trade restrictions, the intensification of trade wars, including with China, and the WTO crisis. The impossibility of resolving conflicts within the WTO is leading to the strengthening of regional trade associations. Thus, the prevailing trends led not only to weakening hopes for the benefits of free trade, but sometimes even to more radical forms of protectionism than was proposed in the F. List concept.