Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP5544
Authors: Olivier Cadot; Pierreyves Geoffard; Akiko Suwa Eisenmann; Thierry Verdier
Abstract: The paper studies attitudes toward immigration and trade using an opinion survey of two thousand French individuals. We find that, beyond usual Stolper-Samuelson effects (skilled individuals are more pro-free trade than others, as in other countries) attitudes toward trade and immigration are correlated and both are ideologically loaded. Right-wing affiliation is robustly associated with protectionism. Moreover, right-wing protectionism concerns not just agriculture but appears to be a broader attitude. It may help explain the predominantly anti-trade rhetoric of France's right-wing governments, although outsiders would expect them to pursue more pro-market and pro-free trade policies than left-wing ones.
Keywords: France; Migration; Political Economy; Protectionism; Trade
JEL Codes: F1; F22
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| low status in society (Z13) | support for protectionism (F52) |
| protectionist sentiment (F52) | anti-immigration attitudes (F22) |
| media narratives (Z13) | perceptions about immigration (K37) |
| higher skill levels (J24) | pro-free trade attitudes (F13) |
| right-wing political affiliation (P16) | protectionist sentiments (F52) |