International trade: reflections on its origins and enduring relevance for human advancement
By Lorenzo Bona
The development of interpersonal relationships enabling what is often referred to as global commerce can be considered a phenomenon intricately linked to human evolution with many fascinating aspects that – given the intense geopolitical tensions of current times – may deserve renewed attention.
A possible genesis of international trade: insights from interdisciplinary studies
Considering the extraordinary level of progress currently achieved by humanity, it has probably been an enormous stroke of luck for all of us that some individuals from past epochs – dating back at least to the Bronze Age according to some historical reconstructions – had the intuition to introduce the first practices of long-distance trade: the initial initiatives that gradually gave rise to what is now called international trade.
Fruitful lines of research at the intersection of history and economic theory invite us to consider that such intuition may have been stimulated by various experiences leading more and more people to realize that perhaps only a few places in the world could offer very limited groups of human beings everything that would allow them to lead a self-sufficient and sedentary life.
This kind of thinking or similar reasoning seems to have acted for some individuals from remote epochs as a kind of useful spark to give them the idea that only the initiation of long-distance trade practices to import goods or objects from other distant places not available within the territories where they lived could lead to powerful beneficial effects: that is, an effective and efficient solution to improve their own well-being and that of their belonging groups.
Trying to offer some additional synthesis comments on the research lines mentioned above, it is also possible to remember an aspect that perhaps is sometimes not highlighted enough when talking about those first attempts at exchange between distant places.
In other words, it is likely that over time an increasing number of people began to understand more and more that the production of the advantageous effects that long-distance exchanges were capable of producing for the survival and development of the human population could not simply be translated in terms of the quantity of imported goods.
As the recalled lines of research seem to suggest, it appears likely that individuals began to recognize that to yield significant benefits, imported goods did not necessarily need to mirror the exact quantity of everyday or regular consumption in the importing regions. Frequently, the creation of such benefits merely required that imported goods or items aimed to fulfill needs that might have a sporadic or occasional nature. For instance, consider the necessity for stones like flint to construct tools for specific economic activities, thereby enhancing productivity.
Navigating the challenges and opportunities of modern long-distance trade
In this perspective, as suggested by the research strands recalled in these pages, it may not be surprising that the world of commerce may perhaps give many people the impression of being something mysterious or connected to almost incomprehensible phenomena: for example, those linking the development of long-distance exchange relationships to the achievement of important results that could be described as an almost magical or miraculous multiplication of the human population and all the goods that have supported and support its existence.
On the other hand, even the sad and worrying persistence of obstacles to commerce – such as those created by conflicts and wars in numerous parts of our planet – suggests that there are still many people who unfortunately do not fully understand the fundamental driving force that international exchanges are capable of offering to the productivity of modern economic systems, so that these can continue to guide humanity towards ever more evolved levels of civilization.
Reflecting on this sad and worrying circumstance and taking into account what has been said so far, it appears highly desirable that our society finds a way to increasingly incentivize, among people, the development of attitudes that embody an entrepreneurial spirit.
Therefore, as a general guideline, it might be advisable to provide more and more support to all those companies – which fortunately for all of us seem to be increasingly numerous – that are engaged in business expansion plans based on internationalization strategies.
Conversely, focusing on aspects more closely related to the area of business management, it could also be added that choices aimed at strengthening internationalization strategies can appear extremely forward-looking in periods of geopolitical tensions like the current ones: as it is increasingly understood, firms that adopt such strategies can increase the chances of preserving their competitiveness, thanks to a reduction of the risks connected to an excessive concentration of their economic interests in a single region of the global economy.