1 Global Trade and Trade Protection: Contradictions between National Interests and International Protocols in a Globalized World By Evans S. OSABUOHIEN, Ph.D Department of Economics and Development Studies, Covenant University, Nigeria [evans.osabuohien@covenantuniversity.edu.ng; pecos4eva@gmail.com] Ibukun BEECROFT (Ph.D Candidate) Department of Economics and Development Studies, Covenant University, Nigeria [ibukun.beecroft@covenantuniversity.edu.ng; duchessbeecroft@yahoo.com] Uchenna R. EFOBI, Ph.D College of Business and Social Sciences, Covenant University, Nigeria [uche.efobi@covenantuniversity.edu.ng; efobi99@yahoo.co.uk] Abstract The World Trade Organization (WTO) and respective Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) have made efforts in boosting global trade; however, trade protection remains prevalent. This contradiction took a new turn during the 2007/2008 global financial and economic crises. There have been arguments that the trade protectionist activities are borne out of induced factors, including social, economic and institutional factors (see Baldwin and Evenett, 2009; Evenett, 2014). Thus, this study examines the determinants of trade protectionist actions, taking into consideration some macro-economic variables. Data was sourced from the Global Trade Alert and World Development Indicators. The findings, among others, show: that a country's level of economic growth is not a crucial factor for engaging in trade protection; as a country's institutional quality improves, the less protectionist tendencies. This implies that the level of institutional development determines a country’s magnitude of protection. Some other findings include: the more a country trades, the higher its tendency to protect. Keywords: Globalization; Global Trade; Institutions, Regional Trade Agreements; Trade alerts; Trade protection Final Version is Published as: Osabuohien, E., Beecroft, I. & Efobi, U. R. (2018). Global Trade and Trade Protection in a Globalised. Transnational Corporations Review, 10(1), 43-52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19186444.2018.1436650 Acknowledgements This paper draws from a research project funded by the Global Trade Alert (GTA) coordinated by the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), UK in collaboration with the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET), Ghana. The authors appreciate the supports from Covenant University Centre for Research, Innovation and Discovery (CUCRID) during the preparation of the manuscript. The views expressed are those of the authors.