Public Opinion, Institutional Choices, and the Global Economy

The literature on International Political Economy already welcomes insights from studies on public opinion to open the black box of the process of policymaking in economic diplomacy. Less obvious, however, is the process through which individuals shape institutional choices. The panel aims to contribute to the debate on state-society interactions that focuses on the mutual relationship between public opinion and institutions--including political parties--that is essential to at least legitimize state action in the global arena of power and eventual foreign influences in the domestic level.