The Impact of Income Inequality on Support for Protectionism

Publication Date

2025

Presentation Length

15 minutes

College

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

Department

Political Science, Department of

Student Level

Undergraduate

SPARK Category

Research

Faculty Advisor

Nathan Griffith

Presentation Type

Talk/Oral

Summary

Despite global trade’s growth—up over 2% in 2024 (WTO)—protectionism is resurging worldwide, even as economists overwhelmingly critique policies like tariffs for their economic inefficiencies. Public opinion, however, diverges, with International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) data revealing widespread support for restricting imports. I will investigate whether rising income inequality, a byproduct of globalization, drives this disconnect. Using the Palma Ratio—a measure of income disparity between the top 10% and bottom 40%—I hypothesize that countries with higher or rapidly increasing inequality exhibit greater public support for protectionist trade policies. Drawing on ISSP survey data from 1995, 2003, and 2013 across 23 countries, I hope to better explain the rise in protectionism. By linking income inequality to trade preferences, this study aims to explain why protectionism persists in an era of global trade, offering insights into the socio-economic roots of policy divergence and informing strategies to bridge the gap between expert consensus and public sentiment.

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