Political power, whether through tariffs and subsidies or government contracts, is under the direct control of politicians who can therefore make decisions that reinforce their wealth and power at the expense of market efficiency. This power can then be directed to securing the votes and the contributions of powerful minorities (farmers, corporations etc.) at the expense of a larger but less focussed majority.

Given how hard it is to keep politics out of markets in a highly educated and pluralist country like the US imagine how hard it is in countries where education is limited and tribal connections often trump national cohesion.

A free market in Africa would be great for everyone except the people who retain power and wealth by directing patronage to their supporters and sponsors. Unfortunately they’re the ones in control.

As for how we solve that, I’m not sure we can. The key benefit of dismantling our own trade barriers, though, is to ourselves. We get cheaper stuff and get to watch poorer areas of the world develop to a stage where their brightest and best can contribute in meaningful ways (and to a stage where the people can really demand change from their leadership as is starting to happen in China as a result of the same forces).

I think people subconsciously shrug their collective shoulders when it comes to fighting corporate welfare. Fighting against money and power is much more difficult than fighting against the disenfranchised. Individually, I think we can all see the inequality in the system, but turning that into popular policy is like climbing a vertical cliff face. It can be done, but damn its hard.