This study uses evidence from three Latin American countries (Peru, Argentina, and Bolivia) to suggest that geography can play a significant role in shaping trade preferences and undermining the formation and clout of distributional coalitions that seek protectionism.
Omar Awapara is Director of Political Science at UPC (Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas) and Global Instructor at the University of Arizona, the USA.
1. Introduction.- 2. A Geography-Based Theory of Trade Policy.- 3. The Regional Impact of Free Trade: An Empirical Analysis.- 4. Trade-related protests in post reform Latin America.- 5. Geography and Trade Reform in Latin America.- 6. Conclusions.