Debates about economic policy have taken a paradoxical turn in past months. Many on the right, who often extol the virtues of the free market, have cheered protectionist tariffs that impose taxes on ...

Government. The Big G. Sometimes we talk about the free market and the invisible hand as being independent from political influence. But since the birth of economics the two have been interwoven.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been putting the squeeze on companies and trading partners in an unusual effort to raise revenue and expand the president’s role over the economy. As the commerce ...