Protectionism and Liberalisation

Protectionism means by which trade between countries is restricted in some way – normally
through measures to reduce the number of imports coming into a country
Main means are:
 Tariffs - A tax on a good coming into a country. increases the price of the good and
makes it less competitive
 Quotas - Physical restriction on the number of goods
coming into a country.
 Non-Tariff Barriers - Any methods not covered by a tariff, most usually:
• Rules
• Regulations
• Voluntary Export Restraints (VERs)
• Legislation
• Exacting Standards or Specifications

Liberalisation

The removal of or reduction in the trade practices that prevent free flow of goods and
services from one nation to another. It includes dismantling of tariff (such as duties, surcharges,
and export subsidies) as well as nontariff barriers (such as licensing regulations, quotas, and
arbitrary standards).

In economy and trade

Privatization, also spelled as privatization, may have several meanings. Primarily, it is the
process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency, public service or public
property from the public sector (a government) to the private sector, either to a business that
operates for a profit or to a nonprofit organization. It may also mean government outsourcing of
services or functions to private firms, e.g. revenue collection, law enforcement, and prison
management
Privatization has also been used to describe two unrelated transactions. The first is the
buying of all outstanding shares of a publicly traded company by a single entity, making the
company privately owned. This is often described as private equity. The second is a
demutualization of a mutual organization or cooperative to form a joint-stock company..
Although economic liberalization is often associated with privatization, the two are
distinct concepts. For example, the European Union has liberalized gas and electricity markets,
instituting a competitive system, but some leading European energy companies such as France's
EDF and Sweden's Vattenfall remain partially or completely in government ownership.
Liberalized and privatized public services may be dominated by just a few big companies
particularly in sectors with high capital costs, or high water, gas, or electricity costs. In some
cases they may remain legal monopolies, at least for some segments of the market (like small
consumers).
Liberalization is one of three focal points (the others being privatization and stabilization)
of the Washington Consensus's trinity strategy for economies in transition.
There is also a concept of hybrid liberalization as, for instance, in Ghana where cocoa crop can
be sold to a variety of competing private companies, but there is a minimum price for which it
can be sold and all exports are controlled by the state