Skip to content
LeadAfrik
Intermediate · Self-paced2026 Edition

International Trade Policy

Why countries trade, who wins and loses, and what governments do about it. Comparative advantage and the new trade theory, the instruments of protection, the WTO order, trade and development, global value chains, and the adjustment problem.

8

Modules

~6h 30m

Reading time

Intermediate

Level

Self-paced

Format

§

Syllabus

  1. 01

    Why countries trade

    Comparative advantage from Ricardo to Heckscher-Ohlin, the gains from trade, and how those gains are distributed within a country.

    ~50 minModule 01
    →
  2. 02

    The new trade theory

    Economies of scale, intra-industry trade, the gravity model, and the home-market effect that standard theory misses.

    ~50 minModule 02
    →
  3. 03

    Tariffs, quotas, and the instruments

    Incidence, effective rates of protection, non-tariff measures, and the political economy of who gets protected.

    ~50 minModule 03
    →
  4. 04

    The WTO order

    GATT to WTO, most-favoured-nation and national treatment, dispute settlement, and the multilateral system under strain.

    ~45 minModule 04
    →
  5. 05

    Trade and development

    The infant-industry argument, import-substitution vs export-orientation, and the East Asian record read for African economies.

    ~55 minModule 05
    →
  6. 06

    Global value chains

    Fragmentation into tasks, the smile curve and upgrading, and where African producers actually sit in the chain.

    ~50 minModule 06
    →
  7. 07

    Preferential trade and the spaghetti bowl

    Free-trade areas and customs unions, AGOA and the EPAs, and the rules of origin that decide whether preferences are worth anything.

    ~45 minModule 07
    →
  8. 08

    Trade, jobs, and the adjustment problem

    The China-shock evidence, who bears the cost of adjustment, and whether trade adjustment assistance ever compensates them.

    ~45 minModule 08
    →

How to use this course

Start with module 01 if the material is new; skip ahead if you have prior exposure. Each module is self-contained but the arc is sequential — the projects in the final module assume the toolkit from modules 1-11. Every module ends with key takeaways and a curated further-reading list with primary sources.