Summary: What is mercantilism? Spanis seaport by Claude Lorrain. Source: Wikimedia Mercantilism is a national economic policy designed to maximize the accumulation of currency reserves through trade. It promotes government regulation of an economy to augment a nation’s economic power at the expense of rival national powers. When politicians complain about a nation’s trade balance, they’re looking at the world with mercantilist glasses. Mercantilism becomes more popular when a country suffers from repeated shortages. If a country doesn’t […]
