Multilateral trade agreements have lowered tariffs over the years. The traditional theory of trade policy, which focuses on terms-of-trade between countries, doesn't match up with real-world trade policies. The Protection-for-Sale Model, a key part of this theory, doesn't align with how trade actually works. The inconsistency is mainly due to terms-of-trade effects. Studies that seem to support this model actually back a more general view of how politics influence trade policies.