Descrição: Three key questions motivate the research that drives the on-going colaboration between the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) and the Centro de Estudos das Negociações Internacionais (CAENI). First, what factors shape public opinion on trade? Second, how does that public opinion filter into the policy making process? Third how and why do those answers vary between the United States and Brazil? For most economists, trade is one of the best ways out of the current economic malaise; politicians increasingly agree The public’s opinion of trade however, is more complex. Gender, education, and access to social support seem to affect preferences, but levels of support and opposition vary strongly across countries, too. For those reasons a comparative project on public opinion and trade is an important one, especially during the on-going downturn. This research also provides insight into a more fundamental question: What factors shape citizens collective willingness to cooperate with other countries? The answer is relevant to questions of international security, development, public health, and sustainability, amongst others. A better understanding of public opinion also will help clarify the murky link between public opinion and policy. Do policy makers heed public opinion in making policy, or only in framing their actions with an eye toward elections? The cast of trade, with divergent interests and the important role of business elites, is a particularly good test case in which to clarify that link. University Global Partnership Network.
Docente responsável: Amancio Jorge Silva Nunes de Oliveira