Key ingredients of opposition to free trade? Prejudice and nationalism

… Many observers have noted that Donald Trump’s anti-trade language is decidedly “us versus them.” In Britain, the “leave” movement’s campaign against economic openness was infused with anti-foreign sentiment. A series of studies by both economists and political scientists confirms this link between nationalistic sentiment and opposition to global markets. […] Read more »

Clinton, Trump Supporters Have Starkly Different Views of a Changing Nation

Supporters of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump disagree on a range of policy issues, from terrorism to free trade. Yet they also have more fundamental differences over long-term changes in the country and the next generation’s future prospects. A new national survey finds that Trump supporters overwhelmingly believe that life […] Read more »

Did Tim Kaine need to flip his position on the TPP to win Sanders’s supporters? Nope.

… It seems to be conventional wisdom that Bernie supporters are against the TPP, given the anti-TPP signs carried by some at last night’s Democratic convention and Sanders’s clear opposition to the trade deal. But what do the public opinion surveys show? Do Sanders’s supporters really dislike TPP — and […] Read more »

Economic Hardship and Favorable Views of Trump

Donald Trump, the Republican Party presidential nominee, has aggressively attacked trade and immigration in his campaign speeches, claiming globalization “has left millions of our workers with nothing but poverty and heartache.” This rhetoric, and the weakness of the U.S. economy in recent years, has led many to conclude that his […] Read more »