Foreign Economic Policy Knowledge and Preferences in Africa

• In Event: International Cooperation, Domestic Politics, and Public Opinion

Abstract

How do individuals in the developing world form opinions about foreign economic policy? According to research from the U.S. and Europe, individuals don’t hold rational preferences over foreign economic issues, but far less is known about this in the developing world. We expect that international economic issues have greater importance for individuals’ lives in developing countries due to these countries’ greater exposure to economic integration, leading individuals to hold generally well-informed and rational preferences. To test this supposition, we field original surveys using Facebook samples in Ghana and Ethiopia, focused on awareness and opinion of salient economic issues in those countries. Our project measures knowledge about economic issues, sources of economic knowledge, preference formation, and electoral salience of foreign economic policy. These survey data enable us to replicate empirical tests that have been extensively conducted in the U.S. and Europe using data and issues from Africa.

Authors

• Richard Clark, University of Notre Dame

• Alexandra Olivia Zeitz, Concordia University

• Lindsay R. Dolan, Wesleyan University