What Is the Candle Makers’ Petition?

The “Candle Makers’ Petition” is a satire of protectionist tariffs, written by French economist Frèdèric Bastiat in 1845. In many ways, it expanded on the free market argument against 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:mercantilism set forth by 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Adam Smith, but Bastiat targeted government tariffs that we🃏re levied to protect domestic industries fr♐om competition.

In Bastiat’s “Petition,” all the people involved in the French lighting industry, including “the manufacturers of candles, tapers, lanterns, sticks, street lamps, snuffers, and extinguishers, and from producers of tallow, oil, resin, alcohol, and generally of everything connected with lighting,” call upon the French government to take protective action against unfair competition from the sun. It argues sarcastically: “We candlemakers are suffering from the unfair competition of a foreign rival.”

Unintended 💙Consequences of the Candle Makers’ Petition

Bastiat argued that forcing people to close “all windows, dormers, skylights, inside and outside shutters, curtains, casements, bull’s-eyes, deadlights, and blinds—in short, all openings, holes, chinks, and fissures through which the light of the sun is wont to enter houses”—would lead to a higher consumption of candles and related products. In turn, he reasoned, the industries that those in the lighting industry depend on for materials would have greater sales, as would their dependent suppliers, and so on—until everyone is better off without the sun.

This satirical essay suggests that forcing people to pay for something when a free alternative is available is often a waste of resources. In this case, the money people spend on additional lighting products would indeed boost the candle makers’ profit, but because this expenditure is not required, it is wasteful and diverts money from other products. Rather than producing wealth, satisfying the candle makers’ petition would lower overall 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:disposable income by needlessly raising everyone’s costs.

Argument Against Tariffs

Similarly, Bastiat argued that using tariffs to force people to pay more for domestic goods when cheaper foreign imports are available allows domestic producers to survive natural competition, but costs everyone as a whole. Additionally, the money put into an uncompetitive company would be more efficiently placed into an industry in which domestic companies have a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:competitive advantage.

Bastiat concluded with the following remark:

Make your choice, but be logical; for as long as you ban, as you do, foreign coal, iron, wheat, and textiles, in proportion as their price approaches zero, how inconsistent it would be to admit the light of the sun, whose price is zero all day long!

Protectionism Remains

Despite the economic theory in Bastiat’s argument, 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:protectionism remains a tool used by governments in the glob𒈔al𝓡 market.

Tariffs are just one form of protectionism. Others include import quotas, which are 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:nontariff barriers put in place to limit the number of products that can be imported over a set period of time, and product standards, which are a barrier that limits imports based on a country’s internal controls.

The Bottom Line

The “Candle Makers’ Petition” is a staple in 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:economics♕ education today. It is often used to teach students about the ꦰprinciples of free trade and the pitfalls of protectionism.

Bastiat’s petition is frequently referenced in discussions about trade policies, thus highlighting the enduring value of its message regarding consideration of broader economic impacts beyond specific industries’ interests.