Did COVID-19 Trigger a “New Normal” in Trade Policy?

This research paper by Simon Evenett analyzes whether the COVID-19 pandemic created a 'new normal' in global trade policy. Using data from the Global Trade Alert (GTA) database, the author examines the volume and nature of commercial policy interventions between 2020 and 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels. The analysis finds that while the total volume of policy interventions increased, the overall proportion of trade-distorting measures remained stable, though there was a significant spike in export bans and corporate subsidies.

• The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant increase in the total volume of commercial policy interventions. In 2020, the number of state acts recorded in the Global Trade Alert (GTA) database reached 5,885. Even with incomplete data for 2021, the recorded 4,016 interventions represent a 25% increase over the average annual number of interventions seen between 2015 and 2019.
• The pandemic did not fundamentally shift the balance between trade-liberalizing and trade-restrictive policies. The share of interventions that favor national firms or local commercial interests has remained stable between 0.80 and 0.85 since 2009, meaning only about one in five interventions improves competition for foreign firms.
• There was a dramatic increase in the use of export bans and corporate subsidies during the pandemic. Export bans in 2020 were at least 50 times more frequent than the average of the five years preceding the pandemic (2015-2019). These restrictions primarily targeted medical equipment, consumables like masks, and later, COVID-19 vaccines in 2021.
• While overall restrictive measures remained stable, there was a trend toward fewer high-profile import restrictions. In 2020, 771 import reforms were documented globally, which is a 61% increase over the pre-pandemic mean of 480 reforms per year (2015-2019).

APA

Evenett, S. (2022). Did COVID-19 Trigger a “New Normal” in Trade Policy? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/covid-19-trade-policy

Chicago

Evenett, Simon. Did COVID-19 Trigger a “New Normal” in Trade Policy? International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2022. https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/covid-19-trade-policy.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Evenett |first1=Simon |title=Did COVID-19 Trigger a “New Normal” in Trade Policy? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=25 September 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/covid-19-trade-policy |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{evenett2022did, author = {Evenett, Simon}, title = {{Did COVID-19 Trigger a “New Normal” in Trade Policy?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = sep, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/covid-19-trade-policy}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }