U.S. Federal Reserve Board chairman Ben Bernanke told policy-makers gathered the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s 30th annual economic symposium not to resist change that would hamper the growth of globalization and the potential for continued improvements in productivity, living standards and the reduction in global poverty that it could spur.

“Social and political opposition to openness can be strong,” he said. “The natural reaction of those so affected is to resist change, for example, by seeking the passage of protectionist measures. The challenge for policymakers is to ensure that the benefits of global economic integration are sufficiently widely shared.”

However, he warned that “geopolitical concerns, including international tensions and the risks of terrorism, already constrain the pace of worldwide economic integration and may do so even more in the future.”