This commentary argues that digital restrictions are spreading across many parts of the world, holding back prospective productivity gains from trade. Barriers to digital trade have the same effect as standard barriers to trade in goods – they protect incumbent firms at the expense of consumers. Just like tariffs on cars or semi‐conductors slowed down the diffusion of new technologies in previous spurts of innovation, digital protectionism will cripple countries in our current wave of Industrialization.
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