'Folk Mercantilism'? Competing Frameworks in Public Opinion on Trade

• In Event: New Perspectives on Trade Preferences

Abstract

What does the public think of when thinking about international trade? This paper argues that the public relies on a particular set of heuristics to overcome informational gaps when forming trade policy views. These heuristics draw links between foreign trade and national security that would have sounded familiar to classic mercantilist pamphleteers: nation-states conducting trade in a competitive environment comprised of friends and enemies, where gains are zero-sum, exports are to be preferred to imports, and the goal of trade is national strength (and survival) through national wealth. They are appealing because they simplify a complex economic reality while drawing on recognizable concepts and emotions related to foreign policy conflict and military contests. Our empirical design combines historical cross-national survey evidence and an original survey experiment embedded in the most recent iteration of the U.S. Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES). We find that reliance on these heuristics varies across countries and is more common, though not limited to, those with limited economic and political knowledge.

Author

• Katja B. Kleinberg, SUNY, Binghamton University