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Fairness according to whom? Divergent perceptions of fairness among white and Black Americans and its effect on trade attitudes

Racial divides in American attitudes toward trade are often explained by labor market discrimination and traits like nationalism. However, recent research shows that perceptions of fairness, particularly “asymmetric fairness” concerns about “falling behind” other countries, significantly shape these attitudes. We theorize that linking these perspectives offers new insights.

Drawing on critical race theory and cognitive psychology, we theorize that Black Americans, unlike their white counterparts, do not view trade through the lens of asymmetric fairness. Since Black Americans have not benefited from the same social, economic, and political privileges, they are less concerned with “falling behind” and instead focus on fairness as equality. This leads them to evaluate trade agreements through a “principled fairness” lens, contributing to support for trade policies that benefit both the home and foreign country, as opposed to prioritizing an “America First” trade agenda.

We test this theory in a national survey experiment and find strong support.

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About the authors

Ryan Brutger

Ryan Brutger

Associate Professor, Political Science

Ryan Brutger as an assistant professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley. He received his Ph.D. from the department of Politics at Princeton University. Prior to joining Berkeley, he was an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

His academic interests are in international relations and foreign policy. His research crosses international political economy, international law, international security, and political psychology, examining the domestic politics of international negotiations and cooperation.

Prior to returning to academia, he was a director at the Association of Academic Health Centers, where Ihefocused on best practices for international research and operations. He also worked for Sidley Austin LLP, where he was the lead legal assistant on the Airbus-Boeing WTO disputes and worked on ICSID, antidumping, countervailing duties, and trade remedies cases.

Daniel Lobo

Ph.D. Student, Sociology

Daniel Lobo is a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at the UC Berkeley. He specializes in political economy and the sociology of organizations and markets. As an economic sociologist, his research examines how organizational and cultural processes — particularly around race, merit, and fairness — structure labor market outcomes and reproduce broader income and wealth inequalities. He focuses on how elite institutions assign value to individuals through hiring and evaluation practices, and how these practices, in turn, shape mobility and stratification.

His research on racialized fairness has been published in American Political Science Review. His  research has been supported by the Mellon Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Berkeley Economy and Society Initiative, and the Berkeley Haas Institute for Business Innovation.

Outside of academia, Daniel enjoys hiking, weight-lifting, traveling, live music, meditation, all things Oakland, and spending time with loved ones. He identifies as Black (ethnically Cape Verdean), queer, and of the working class. He is also a first-generation American and college graduate.

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