Covid-19's blow to world trade

International trade may faces an uncertain future. After huge growth in the three decades to 2008, trade has stagnated or slightly decreased as a proportion of global GDP. This downward trend, coupled with threats from coronavirus, raises questions over the future of trade. Is protectionism the new normal? Given the fragility of supply chains, should we try and curb our dependency on other nations? Are we condemning ourselves to live poorer and less prosperous lives if we do? To discuss this, the IEA's Policy Adviser to the Director General, Alexander Hammond, is joined by IEA Academic and Research Director Syed Kamall and Sam Bowman, Director of Competition Policy at the International Centre of Law and Economics.