Even when infant industry protection is well–intentioned, it is difficult for governments to know which industries they should protect; "infant" industries may never "grow up" relative to "adult" foreign competitors.
此外，即使对幼稚产业的保护出发点并不坏，一国政府也很难判别究竟哪些产业应当受到此种保护；并且相较于国外的同类竞争者，这些“幼稚”产业可能永远也“长不大”。