7. It is argued that special interest groups are likely to take over and promote protectionistpolicies, which may lead to a decrease in national economic welfare. This argument leads toA) a presumption that in practice a free trade policy is likely to be better than alternatives.B) a presumption that trade policy should be shifted to Non-Governmental Organizations, so asto limit taxpayer burden.C) a presumption that free trade is generally a second-best policy, to be avoided if feasiblealternatives are available.D) a presumption that free trade is the likely equilibrium solution if the government allowsspecial interest groups to dictate its trade policy.E) a presumption that protectionist policies will better serve a country as a whole than free tradepolicies.

The argument suggests that special interest groups may promote protectionist policies that could potentially decrease national economic welfare. This leads to:

A) a presumption that in practice a free trade policy is likely to be better than alternatives. This is because free trade policies generally promote economic growth and welfare by allowing goods and services to move freely across borders, leading to more efficient allocation of resources.

B) a presumption that trade policy should be shifted to Non-Governmental Organizations, so as to limit taxpayer burden. This is not necessarily a direct conclusion from the argument. While NGOs may play a role in trade policy, the argument does not specifically suggest this as a solution.

C) a presumption that free trade is generally a second-best policy, to be avoided if feasible alternatives are available. This is not a likely conclusion from the argument. The argument suggests that protectionist policies may harm economic welfare, not that free trade is a second-best policy.

D) a presumption that free trade is the likely equilibrium solution if the government allows special interest groups to dictate its trade policy. This is not a likely conclusion from the argument. The argument suggests that special interest groups may promote protectionist policies, not that they would promote free trade.

E) a presumption that protectionist policies will better serve a country as a whole than free trade policies. This is the opposite of what the argument suggests. The argument suggests that protectionist policies may harm national economic welfare.

Therefore, the most likely answer is A) a presumption that in practice a free trade policy is likely to be better than alternatives.