## Douglas Irwin on Trade: Reality vs Perception

_IMF Podcasts, December 19, 2016_

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Douglas Irwin on Trade: Reality vs Perception](https://www.imf.org/en/news/podcasts/all-podcasts/2017/11/11/douglas-irwin-on-trade-reality-vs-perception)

## Other formats

- [Markdown version](/en/news/podcasts/all-podcasts/2017/11/11/douglas-irwin-on-trade-reality-vs-perception/index.md)
- [Structured JSON version](/en/news/podcasts/all-podcasts/2017/11/11/douglas-irwin-on-trade-reality-vs-perception/index.json)
- [Bundle manifest](/en/news/podcasts/all-podcasts/2017/11/11/douglas-irwin-on-trade-reality-vs-perception/bundle-manifest.json)

## Bibliographic details
- Published: December 19, 2016

---

### Overview of the episode
- Publication date: December 19, 2016
- Speaker: Douglas Irwin, John Sloan Dickey Third Century Professor in Social Sciences, Department of Economics at Dartmouth College
- Event participation: Irwin participated in a seminar entitled Making Trade an Engine of Growth for All at the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings
- Producers / behind the mic:
  - Bruce Edwards, International Monetary Fund
  - Rhoda Metcalfe, independent journalist and audio producer

### Main themes and framing
- The central question: Who benefits from free trade and who doesn’t?
- Core observation: The realities of trade outcomes do not always match people’s perceptions.
- Subject focus: Controversies surrounding free trade and its distributional effects.

### Key points and assertions conveyed
- Free trade produces winners and losers; perceptions about who benefits can diverge from actual outcomes.
- The episode addresses controversial aspects of trade policy and public understanding of trade impacts.
- Emphasis on making trade an engine of growth for all, as reflected by participation in the seminar Making Trade an Engine of Growth for All.

### Intended audience and purpose
- Audience: Listeners interested in trade policy, economic controversies, and the distributional consequences of trade.
- Purpose: To clarify misconceptions about trade, present economic perspectives on who benefits from free trade, and inform debate around trade policy.

---

## Content in this bundle

- [Irwin (MP3)](/-/media/websites/imf/imported-podcast/imported-podcast-mp3/external/podcast/2016/irwin.mp3){rel="external" type="audio/mpeg"}

---

_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/news/podcasts/all-podcasts/2017/11/11/douglas-irwin-on-trade-reality-vs-perception_