Escaping a protectionist rut: Policy mechanisms for trade reform in a democracy

► We develop a dynamic OLG model of trade policy. ► Both generations of heterogeneous workers vote each period. ► We find two stable policy paths: one protectionist and the other liberal. ► Transition may be induced by announcements, education subsidies, or external policy, but not by transfers. ► Proposed reform needs to be sufficiently large for transition to be feasible.