Public Opinion and Foreign Aid: A Review Essay

International Interactions, Volume 39, Number 3, Forthcoming

10 Pages Posted: 27 Apr 2013

See all articles by Helen V. Milner

Helen V. Milner

Princeton University - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs; Princeton University - Department of Political Science

Dustin H. Tingley

Harvard University - Department of Government

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

Milner, Helen V. and Tingley, Dustin H., Public Opinion and Foreign Aid: A Review Essay (April 26, 2013). International Interactions, Volume 39, Number 3, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2256916

Helen V. Milner (Contact Author)

Princeton University - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs ( email )

Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544-1021
United States

Princeton University - Department of Political Science ( email )

Corwin Hall
Princeton, NJ 08544-1013
United States
609-258-0181 (Phone)

Dustin H. Tingley

Harvard University - Department of Government ( email )

1737 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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