The political trilemma of the world economy is a concept created by economist Dani Rodrik to capture the trade-offs that governments faced in their responses to globalization.
[1][2][3][4][5] The trilemma holds that "democracy, national sovereignty and global economic integration are mutually incompatible: we can combine any two of the three, but never have all three simultaneously and in full.
"[6] According to Rodrik, states embraced globalization and national autonomy in the late 20th century, but sacrificed democratic decision-making.
[7] In the post-World War II period, states sacrificed globalization while embracing democracy at home and national autonomy.
[7] The trilemma suggests that the backlash against globalization in the last few decades is rooted in a desire to reclaim democracy and national autonomy, even if it undermines economic integration.