Electoral Weakness Drives Protectionist Trade Policy

Presidential Particularism in U.S. Trade Politics

This paper explores how presidential electoral incentives shape trade policy decisions through unilateral executive actions.

### What Is Presidential Particularism?

Presidential particularism refers to the strategy where leaders strategically distribute political favors based on electoral considerations rather than a consistent ideological stance.

Our findings reveal that:

• Presidents systematically allocate protectionist benefits (via executive orders) using an electoral calculus;
• States lacking comfortable presidential majorities receive more trade protections from 1986–2006;
• This distributive behavior extends significantly into the realm of foreign affairs;
• The president's authority for unilateral trade adjustments remains substantial.

This research demonstrates that seemingly non-partisan executive actions often reflect underlying political motivations.