Global Challenges, Reluctant Publics The Role of Public Opinion in International Cooperation on Crucial Global Issues

When challenges emerge that demand international cooperation, what is the facilitating or constraining roleof public opinion in states ability for joint action Which factors, under what conditions, influence citizensattitudes Can governments or issue activists meaningfully change public opinion about crucial issuesHuman society faces a number of major challenges to its environmental, economic, and political well-beingthat are not contained by international borders and may require international cooperation for effective action.Developing and testing new theory, this project addresses these under-explored issues of the role of opinionin multinational cooperation, and the degree to which opinion is an independent agenda setter.