Trump’s effort to pick America’s corporate winners will end badly

FOR at least the last 150 years, state intervention in picking individual industries and firms to support has been shown to undermine productivity and weaken economic performance. When political considerations outweigh sound commercial judgment, companies may be compelled to keep unprofitable factories open, maintain loss-making activities, favour government-owned suppliers over private vendors, or appoint unqualified but politically connected individuals to leadership positions.

By contrast, when private companies are inefficient or producing goods people do not want, they exit the market, and more productive companies enter. The profit motive drives businesses to recruit capable employees, produce quality goods that meet demand, innovate, and embrace cutting-edge technologies. When subject to political influence or control, companies generally have weaker incentives to pursue these goals precisely because government ownership shields them from competition.

In the US, as in most advanced economies, the private sector has long been the primary driver of gross domestic product growth. With governments playing a relatively limited role – establishing regulatory frameworks, supporting basic research and innovation, and curbing monopolies – competition has flourished, delivering decades of economic prosperity.