### Introduction
Support for leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum was significantly higher in U.K. regions most severely affected by economic globalization, particularly the import surge from China.
### Global Trade Pressures
* The study attributes Brexit vote variation primarily to trade pressures, specifically focusing on increased imports from China over three decades.
* These trade shocks negatively impacted regional economic performance and fueled political discontent leading to a higher likelihood of voting Leave in the referendum.
### The Displacement Effect
* Using an instrumental variables approach, the analysis suggests this effect stems from job displacement caused by import competition.
* Importantly, overall immigrant stocks or general inflows were not associated with Brexit support; only immigrants specifically from EU accession countries showed a statistically significant positive link to Leave votes.
### Sociotropic Response
* When analyzing individual-level data, the findings indicate voters reacted to economic shocks in an aggregated (sociotropic) manner.
* This means regional residents voted based on their perception of overall economic conditions and job losses attributable to globalization, even if they themselves were not directly affected.
### Why It Matters
This research provides crucial empirical insights into how international trade dynamics shape domestic political outcomes in advanced economies.
| Global Competition and Brexit was authored by Italo Colantone and Piero Stanig. It was published by Cambridge in APSR in 2018. |
