Attitudes towards integration in Latin America

• In Event: Public Opinion, Foreign Policy and International Politics: The Americas and The World Project

Abstract

Latin American countries share a common history and values that have defined them as a particular region. Throughout history, many efforts based on this common heritage have been driven in order to create common projects of integration and cooperation. Some of them have resulted on regional institutions, common markets and agreements among countries. Nevertheless, the region has lacked of strong transnational common interests and there is not a clearly defined regional space for cooperation.
Through the results of the survey “The Americas and the World” carried out in 7 Latin American countries, we will explore population support for integration in the region. We will analyze which kind of integration Latin Americans prefer and the characteristics of the citizens who are more enthusiastic about integration. Moreover, we will study attitudes among the population that represent an obstacle for strengthening integration.
During decades, a long research has been done about perception and support for integration mainly within the European Union. Public opinion has a growing importance and it has shaped the mechanisms of integration through voting and referendum. On this research, we will study some theories about public opinion support for integration in the European Union in order to compare whether characteristics and perception of the population regarding integration is similar in Latin America.

Author

• Karen Elena Marin Hernandez, Associate Professor - Center for Research and Teaching in Economics