Trade Protectionism in an Uncertain and Interconnected Global Economy

Nicolás Albertoni is Fulbright-Laspau Scholar and Professor at the Universidad Católica del Uruguay. He is an active researcher at the Uruguayan National System for Researchers (SNI-ANII) and non-resident associate researcher at the University of Southern California’s Security and Political Economy (SPEC) Laboratory, USA. He is currently Uruguay’s deputy minister of foreign affairs. He holds a PhD in political science and international relations from the University of Southern California (USC), where he received the Order of Arethe, the highest honor accorded to graduate students. He received a master’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Latin American Studies, and a master’ degree in Economics, and a master’s degree in Politics and International Relations from USC.

"Global cooperation is today more needed than ever. If you think that current levels of global interdependence cannot be reversed, you need to read Nicolás Albertoni’s work. Using statistical and qualitative research he convincingly and elegantly argues that the same vehicles that help spread global integration, such as preferential trade agreements and global value chains, are now being used to introduce new and murkier forms of protectionism. This excellent study is a must read for any scholar interested in the political economy of trade policy, and policymakers trying to kick-start global cooperation in the area of international trade."Marcelo Olarreaga, Professor of Economics, University of Geneva, Switzerland"This study is an extraordinary balance between the contribution to the literature and the practice of trade policy. It gathers new evidence on a key issue: the risk of protectionism through non-tariff measures in an inevitably interdependent world. It is a bold investigation that persists in the urgency of continuing to deepen trade integration based on pillars that promote transparency and encourage those responsible and scholars of trade policy to advance in this regard."Andrés Rebolledo, Former Minister of Energy of Chile (2016–2018); President of Chile’s National Oil Company; Vice Minister of International Economic Relations of Chile"Since the Treaty of Westphalia, States are entities that, as Lord Palmerston said, have no friends, but permanent interests. Therefore, integration has been and is a response to the global geopolitics that modernity poses. The contribution of Nicolás Albertoni (colleague from USC) is realistic and courageous. He shows that protectionist regulations are aimed at neutralizing the trade openness that the fall in tariffs deepens. A book that, in my opinion, takes into account without saying so the four demons that coexist with integration: ideology, asymmetry, autarky and hypocrisy. For this reason, his proposal is challenging and opportune, not only for the academy, but for politicians, diplomats, businessmen, workers and especially students. An excellent synthesis of professional seriousness and political maturity."Sergio Abreu, Secretary General of the Latin American Integration Association; Former Minister of Foreign Relations of Uruguay (1993–1995)

• 1. Trade Protectionism in an Uncertain Global Economy and the Necessity for a New Framework of Analysis 2. A Historical Overview of 21st Century Protectionism: How Did We Arrive at This Point? 3. Understanding Trade Protectionism Piece by Piece: Evidence from the Data 4. Protectionism and Trade Policy Responses: A Quantitative Approach 5. A Comparative Approach: Protectionism and Trade Policy Responses in Latin America 6. Conclusions and Final Thoughts