(iPoster) Public and Expert Reactions to Economic Framings of Climate Action

• In Event: Poster Sessions: Frontiers in International Political Economy & Advanced Industrial Societies
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Frontiers in International Political Economy

Abstract

How do economic framings of climate action shape beliefs about the compatibility between ambitious climate policy and the liberal economic order? Climate change poses not only an environmental crisis, but a fundamental challenge to the liberal international economic order. As we are witnessing an increase in green industrial policies (which contribute to climate mitigation but disrupt free trade) and trade-restrictive environmental measures, existing studies have highlighted conflicts between climate action and free trade. We examine how different economic narratives of climate action can either strengthen or undermine the perceived legitimacy of the liberal economic order in the climate change era.
Using a randomized framing experiment, we test whether emphasizing the 'economic opportunities' (e.g., green growth, clean-tech innovation) versus the 'economic costs' (e.g., competitiveness loss, carbon leakage) of climate action shifts beliefs about the coexistence of liberal economic rules and stringent climate policies. In addition, we compare the responses from experts (international relations academics and think tank experts) and the general public. This dual sampling allows us to test whether the economic framings operate similarly across expert and lay audiences. While scholars and policymakers debate whether free trade and open markets can coexist with decarbonization, little systematic evidence exists on how experts themselves perceive this issue. Our study helps to fill in this gap.
This research addresses critical policy questions at the intersection of international political economy and climate governance. As governments worldwide grapple with designing climate policies that maintain economic competitiveness while achieving decarbonization goals, we need to better understand the determinants of political support for climate action. Our study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the green industrial policies’ political implications: whether it is a broadly persuasive political narrative, or a populist discourse that fails to resonate with the experts.

*The expert survey was accepted to be fielded in early 2026 by the Teaching, Research & International Policy research lab at William & Mary's Global Research Institute.

Authors

• RyuGyung Park, College of William and Mary

• JungHyun Han, Asian Development Bank