The evidence shows the crux of the problem has been the decoupling of productivity growth from incomes. The reasons are many, inter-related and in many cases irreversible. The advent of globalizatiaon and free trade has brought both benefits - lower cost for imported goods, expanded market opportunities - and costs - loss of jobs, downward pressure on the value of labour, the decline of organized labour. At the same time, free trade has limited the capacity of governments to intervene in markets and global capital flows have increased the economic and political power of corporations.