The last few decades have been characterized by a worrying economic trend: stagnating incomes and living standards for an increasing share of the population of developed nations. In turn this development has had a number of problematic consequences. In particular it has served gradually to erode public support for free trade, as well as for free markets in general. The pendulum in the tone of the debate surrounding trade liberalization has now swung too far in the direction of scepticism regarding its merits. This paper aims to show the benefits of trade liberalization for developed economies and developing countries and tackles the issue of how to secure public consent for continued trade liberalization.
