The National Gain

'The National Gain' is the main work of the Finnish scientist, philosopher and politician Anders Chydenius, published in 1765. In this economics thesis Chydenius argues in favor of free export trade rights for the province of Ostrobothnia and lays down the principles of liberalism and the free markets – for example, free trade and industry – eleven years before Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations (1776). The book also includes a description of what Smith later dubbed the «invisible hand.» In the book, Chydenius attacks the export subsidy as an example of the harmful effects of government intervention on the domestic economy.