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What is the distinction between a free market economy and free trade?
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Yes, a slight difference. FME is when you can have transparency in manufacturing and trading - no strings attached. However, in free trade, you are allowed to get in stuff from anywhere in the world and sell.
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Generally, one is considered a part of the other - and yes, in both directions. The real difference is in theory versus practice - in practice, there is no such thing as a completely free market, nor is there completely free trade. The two - free markets and free trade - are ideals that presume no negative externalities, but it's the externalities that drive governments and policymakers toward conditions that are less than fully free, in markets and in trade. (That's a good thing, by the way.)
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