The True State of Global Connectedness

Global trade: Love it or hate it. But don't overestimate its impact on individual economies. Proponents of trade point to the benefits of global ''connectedness,'' while opponents damn that very thing. Asked about the actual impact of trade on domestic jobs and products, however, people tend to wildly overestimate the figures. What's more, a continuing study of trade's impact, sponsored by DHL, suggests that the world isn't quite so connected as one might think. On this episode, we talk to study co-author Pankaj Ghemawat, a professor at both the Stern School of Business at New York University, and the IESE Business School in Madrid, Spain. He lays out the study's unique and rigorous method of measuring the flow of trade, capital, people and information across international borders. And he pinpoints just how much globalization has impacted trading nations to date – with a particular focus on the ''globaloney'' that seems to accompany public perceptions of trade.