Economics · Year 13

Active learning ideas

Arguments for Protectionism

Exploring arguments for protectionism requires students to actively engage with complex economic and political reasoning. Through structured activities like debates and case studies, students move beyond memorization to critically evaluate the justifications and consequences of trade barriers.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• A-Level: Economics - The Global Economy
• A-Level: Economics - International Trade and Protectionism

• 30–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Formal Debate
• 45 min · Whole Class

Formal Debate: The Infant Industry Argument

Divide students into two groups: one arguing for protection of a hypothetical new domestic industry (e.g., advanced battery manufacturing) and the other arguing for free trade. Students must present economic evidence and counterarguments.

Analyze the incentives that drive nations to adopt protectionist measures.

Facilitation Tip

During the Formal Debate on the infant industry argument, ensure students adhere to time limits for constructive speeches and rebuttals to maintain a focused and rigorous exchange of ideas.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Case Study Analysis
• 30 min · Small Groups

Case Study Analysis: National Security Tariffs

Provide students with a case study of a country imposing tariffs for national security reasons (e.g., steel tariffs). Students analyze the stated justifications, potential economic impacts, and alternative policy options.

Compare the economic arguments for protecting infant industries versus promoting free trade.

Facilitation Tip

In the Case Study Analysis of national security tariffs, guide students to identify specific evidence within the case that supports or refutes the stated national security justifications.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Formal Debate
• 40 min · Small Groups

Role-Playing: Lobbying for Protection

Assign students roles as representatives of domestic industries, policymakers, and consumer groups. They engage in a simulated lobbying session to influence a decision on a proposed trade barrier.

Justify the use of protectionist measures in specific strategic industries.

Facilitation Tip

During the Role-Playing activity on lobbying, circulate to ensure students representing different stakeholder groups are effectively articulating their assigned interests and responding to counterarguments.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

This topic benefits from a pedagogical approach that emphasizes critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning. Instead of simply presenting arguments for protectionism, facilitate discussions where students weigh the evidence and consider counterarguments. Research suggests that active engagement with complex case studies and structured debates helps students develop a more nuanced understanding of economic policy.

Successful learning means students can articulate the core arguments for protectionism, such as the infant industry and national security rationales, and critically assess their validity. Students should be able to connect these abstract arguments to real-world examples and understand the trade-offs involved.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Debate: The Infant Industry Argument, watch for students who assume protectionism automatically creates jobs without considering potential downsides.

  During the Debate, prompt students to address the potential for higher consumer prices or negative impacts on other domestic industries that rely on imported goods, using evidence from their assigned roles.

• During the Case Study Analysis: National Security Tariffs, students might oversimplify the national security argument, failing to distinguish between genuine strategic needs and protectionist motives.

  During the Case Study Analysis, ask students to identify specific criteria that define a 'strategic industry' and evaluate whether the case study's protected industry meets those criteria, prompting them to look for evidence of genuine security concerns versus economic protectionism.

• During the Role-Playing: Lobbying for Protection, students might believe the infant industry argument justifies permanent protection for any new industry, regardless of its maturity.

  During the Role-Playing, remind students playing the role of policymakers to question the 'temporary' nature of the protection being lobbied for and to ask for specific benchmarks or timelines for the industry to become competitive.

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Methods used in this brief

• Formal Debate
• Case Study Analysis