Arbeitspapier
Understanding free trade attitudes: Evidence from Europe
Our paper shows that individual preferences for open-market policies are mainly shaped by trust in institutions and not economic self-interest. On the basis of the Eurobarometer, a comprehensive semiannual survey that monitors public opinion in EU Member States, we exploit data on attitudes towards the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), free trade, protectionism, and globalization. We find that preferences for open-market trade policies cannot be sufficiently explained by variables that, according to classical trade theory, typically determine personal advantages. Nevertheless, rational considerations follow expected patterns, in particular when individuals express strong preferences. A spatial analysis at the European NUTS-2 level shows that measures of regional trade exposure and other macroeconomic determinants serve as well-suited predictors for the substantial cross-regional variation in the support for globalization. Country specific narratives are predominant drivers of individual open-market attitudes.
- Language
-
Englisch
- Bibliographic citation
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Series: ifo Working Paper ; No. 325
- Classification
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Wirtschaft
Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
International Agreements and Observance; International Organizations
Economic Impacts of Globalization: Policy
- Subject
-
international political economy
globalization
free trade attitudes
- Event
-
Geistige Schöpfung
- (who)
-
Braml, Martin
Felbermayr, Gabriel
- Event
-
Veröffentlichung
- (who)
-
ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich
- (where)
-
Munich
- (when)
-
2020
- Handle
- Last update
-
10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET
Data provider
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.
Object type
- Arbeitspapier
Associated
- Braml, Martin
- Felbermayr, Gabriel
- ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich
Time of origin
- 2020
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Understanding Free Trade Attitudes: Evidence from Europe
Transatlantic Free Trade: Questions and Answers from the Vantage Point of Trade Theory
Free Trade from Lisbon to Vladivostok: Who Gains, Who Loses from a Eurasian Trade Agreement?
Does trade cause divergence? Dynamic panel data evidence
Market Size Effects in New New Trade Theory
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Free Trade Agreements, Customs Unions In Disguise?
European trade policy at the service of geopolitics? Requirements for new instruments from the perspective of family businesses
Cultural proximity and trade
The US-China trade deal: How the EU and WTO lose from managed trade
Kyoto and the carbon content of trade