Revisiting international trade's role in domestic development

Unlocking trade-enabled economic development alongside tenets of development including gender equity, income inequality, infrastructure, and other SDGs is very much possible

Against a backdrop of rising trade protectionism, increasing bilateral trade agreements, and a growing body of evidence supporting trade’s positive influence on economic development and job creation, India has an opportunity to revisit international trade policy consistent with its own domestic development agenda. Specifically, revisiting policy with the potential to address the modern economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. In this article, we explore why trade and economic development—especially poverty alleviation—has had mixed results, why we believe integrated trade and domestic policies could address some of the issues, and four tensions we must address to develop a more