William Christiansen, Tobias Heinrich, and Timothy Peterson have an article forthcoming
in International Interactions, "Foreign policy begins at home: the local origin of support for democracy promotion."
Using a survey experiment, the authors consider how local effects of foreign policy
tools intended for democracy promotion, particularly aid and sanctions, affect public
approval. They find evidence that a positive local impact increases support for and
reduces opposition to democracy aid amid nascent democratization, while a negative
local impact reduces indifference and increases opposition to economic sanctions in
the case of democratic backsliding. This article contributes to the understanding
of why individuals decide to support particular foreign policy objectives, highlighting
the degree to which individual assessments follow from the location of domestic economic benefits
and costs. It also sheds light on recent discussions of “'tied" foreign aid where
donors stipulate that aid be spent on contractors located in the donor country. This
study is particularly relevant considering growing attention to the domestic benefits
of foreign involvement more generally.
Department of Political Science
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- Christiansen, Heinrich and Peterson study local reactions to U.S. democracy promotion