Protectionism of Voters in the Philippines and Thailand: Comparative Approach to the Political Economy of Protection

Nam Seok Kim ()
Additional contact information
Nam Seok Kim: Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) Sejong-si, South Korea

Asian Economic Papers, 2025, vol. 24, issue 2, 180-204

Abstract: This paper studies what determines voters’ attitudes toward protectionist trade policy in the Philippines and Thailand. Using cross-country survey data collected in 2020, I estimate determinants of trade barrier preference in these two Southeast Asian nations. Econometric specifications are based on the Heckscher-Ohlin type factor endowment approach and specific-factor models. Empirical results support that the theoretical predictions made by the factor endowment approach are successful in explaining individual-level protectionism in the two countries: Individuals with higher educational attainment prefer higher trade barriers. However, sector-specific interest predicted by the specific-factor model does not empirically explain the voters’ attitudes toward protectionism in these two Southeast Asian nations. This means that in the Philippines and Thailand, long-run determinants suggested by the factor endowment approach are robust channels, while short-run determinants elaborated by the specific-factor model are not. By applying the comparative approach to seven Asia-Pacific nations, I emphasize distinct features in the Philippines and Thailand, such as the positive marginal effect of educational attainment and gender differences.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1162/asep_a_00956
Access to PDF is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:tpr:asiaec:v:24:y:2025:i:2:p:180-204

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://mitpressjour ... rnal/?issn=1535-3516

Access Statistics for this article

Asian Economic Papers is currently edited by Wing Thye Woo, Sungbae An, Fukunari Kimura and Ming Lu

More articles in Asian Economic Papers from MIT Press
Bibliographic data for series maintained by The MIT Press ().