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Brexit: the economics of international disintegration

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  • Thomas Sampson

Abstract

This paper reviews the literature on the likely economic consequences of Brexit and considers the lessons of the Brexit vote for the future of European and global integration. Brexit will make the United Kingdom poorer because it will lead to new barriers to trade and migration between the United Kingdom and the European Union. Plausible estimates put the costs to the United Kingdom at between 1 and 10 percent of income per capita. Other European Union countries will also suffer economically, but their estimated losses are much smaller. Support for Brexit came from a coalition of less-educated, older, less economically successful and more socially conservative voters. Why these voters rejected the European Union is poorly understood, but will play an important role in determining whether Brexit proves to be merely a diversion on the path to greater international integration or a sign that globalization has reached its limits.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Sampson, 2017. "Brexit: the economics of international disintegration," CEP Discussion Papers dp1499, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
  • Handle: RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp1499
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Brexit; European Union; trade agreements; quantitative trade models; globalization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F1 - International Economics - - Trade
    • F5 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy
    • F6 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization

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