Public Opinion and Foreign Aid: A Review Essay
International Interactions, Volume 39, Number 3, Forthcoming
10 Pages Posted: 27 Apr 2013
Date Written: April 26, 2013
Abstract
The study of public opinion and foreign policy has a long history (Almond, 1950; Converse, 1964; Lippmann, 1955). This history includes a long-standing debate over the utility of studying public opinion when considering international affairs (Holsti, 1992; Mueller, 1971; Page and Shapiro, 1983; Page and Shapiro, 1992; Wittkopf, 1986). The dismissal of the importance of public opinion stems from the concern that the mass public knows little about foreign policy. Prominent theories about foreign policy and international relations give no role to publics (Krasner, 1978; Mearsheimer, 2001; Waltz, 1979). Very few theoretical perspectives in international relations give any weight to public attitudes; neorealism, neoliberalism, and institutionalism provide very little space for the mass public to affect foreign policy.
Keywords: foreign aid, public opinion, international relations, international cooperation
JEL Classification: F35, F34
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation