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You’re reading Dispatch Markets, a weekly newsletter on economics featuring Scott Lincicome, Kyla Scanlon, Karl Smith, Marian Tupy, and Adam Ozimek. To access more Dispatch reporting and analysis, become a member today.
On Tuesday, I had the privilege of delivering the 2026 Lev Dobriansky Distinguished Lecture in Political Economy at George Mason University. In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of both the Declaration of Independence and Adam Smith’s seminal book, The Wealth of Nations, the hosts asked me to speak on Smith’s continued influence on U.S. public policy, especially trade and protectionism. Today’s column will be an essay version of that talk.
What Smith Foresaw
