Irwin M. Stelzer

About the author: Irwin M. Stelzer is the director of regulatory policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.

Attempts to reduce the use of overseas sweatshops are misguided. The effort on the part of trade unions and government officials to raise wages and to have goods manufactured under humane conditions would greatly increase production costs, driving many overseas plants out of business. This, in turn, would hurt the economies of developing nations and irrevocably damage international trade. Moreover, laborers in foreign factories are grateful for their jobs and generally are willing to work for wages that seem low by American standards. These wages are often higher than what overseas workers could earn in non-factory jobs. Consumers must recognize that the economic development of...