Economists traditionally argued that implementing tariff protection on infant industries inevitably undermines long-term domestic competitiveness by shielding firms from global market pressures. However, a comprehensive analysis of East Asian industrialization reveals that several key sectors achieved international dominance precisely during periods of heavy protection. These historical outcomes suggest that targeted state protection can foster competitive advantages when paired with strict export performance standards. Granted, protectionism often induces economic inefficiency when unconditioned; nonetheless, since conditional subsidies incentivized rapid technological adoption in these case studies, the conventional view regarding the uniform detriment of tariff protection requires substantial revision.
In the argument given, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?
- The first is a position that the argument as a whole seeks to challenge; the second is a intermediate conclusion offered to support the primary conclusion of the argument.Answer
- BThe first is the main conclusion of the argument; the second is a finding cited to undermine that conclusion.
- CThe first is a premise offered in support of the author's main position; the second is a counterargument raised and subsequently dismissed by the author.
- DThe first is an unstated assumption required by the conventional view; the second is an indisputable empirical fact offered as primary evidence against that view.
- EThe first is a general principle that the argument demonstrates to be universally invalid; the second is the primary conclusion that the author defends throughout the passage.