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The Social Construction of Policy Reform: Economists and Trade Liberalization Around the World

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  • Stephen Weymouth
  • J. Muir Macpherson

Abstract

We argue that the global spread of ideas contributes to trade liberalization. Building on insights from a rich case-based literature, we suggest an explicit mechanism of trade policy diffusion: US-trained Ph.D. economists, who share a common belief in the benefits of free trade, and who operate with varying degrees of political influence around the world. We offer the first cross-national test of the impact of economists on trade liberalization using a unique dataset recording the country of residence of all 6,493 foreign-based, US-trained American Economic Association (AEA) members over the period 1981--1997. Specifically, we measure the influence of economists on the timing and extent of trade liberalization. First, we endogenize the date of trade liberalization using hazard and probit models. Controlling for alternative diffusion mechanisms and other confounding variables, our results suggest that economists significantly speed up the reform process. Second, we find that countries with greater numbers of economists are more open to trade at the end of the period. All of our results are robust to an instrumental variables strategy that employs the number of Fulbright grants allocated by the United States as an instrument for the number of US-trained economists.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen Weymouth & J. Muir Macpherson, 2012. "The Social Construction of Policy Reform: Economists and Trade Liberalization Around the World," International Interactions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(5), pages 670-702, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:ginixx:v:38:y:2012:i:5:p:670-702
    DOI: 10.1080/03050629.2012.726185
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    Cited by:

    1. Klingler-Vidra, Robyn & Tran, Ba Linh & Chalmers, Adam William, 2021. "Transnational experience and high-performing entrepreneurs in emerging economies: Evidence from Vietnam," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    2. Katherine H. Tennis & Rachel Sullivan Robinson, 2020. "Where Do Population Policies Come From? Copying in African Fertility and Refugee Policies," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 39(2), pages 175-205, April.
    3. Knack,Stephen & Parks,Bradley Christopher & Harutyunyan,Ani & DiLorenzo,Matthew, 2020. "How Does the World Bank Influence the Development Policy Priorities of Low-Income and Lower-Middle Income Countries ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9225, The World Bank.
    4. Klingler-Vidra, Robyn & Tran, Ba Linh & Chalmers, Adam William, 2021. "Transnational experience and high-performing entrepreneurs in emerging economies: evidence from Vietnam," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 110756, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Rachel Robinson, 2015. "Population Policy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case of Both Normative and Coercive Ties to the World Polity," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 34(2), pages 201-221, April.

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