Introduction

Economists agree that free trade is beneficial. Open trade promotes growth, improves economic welfare, and fosters the efficient allocation of resources. Nonetheless, free trade has been the exception rather than the rule. Countries routinely impose barriers to trade, engage in disputes over trade, and try to manage the flow of trade. Politics is central to these deviations from openness, a longstanding realization that has generated a vibrant literature on the political economy of international trade. This volume contains a collection of the articles that various co-authors and I have written on this topic over the past twenty-five years…