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Googling the WTO: What Search-Engine Data Tell Us About the Political Economy of Institutions

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  • Pelc, Krzysztof J.

Abstract

How does international law affect state behavior? Existing models addressing this issue rest on individual preferences and voter behavior, yet these assumptions are rarely questioned. Do citizens truly react to their governments being taken to court over purported violations? I propose a novel approach to test the premise behind models of international treaty-making, using web-search data. Such data are widely used in epidemiology; in this article I claim that they are also well suited to applications in political economy. Web searches provide a unique proxy for a fundamental political activity that we otherwise have little sense of: information seeking. Information seeking by constituents can be usefully examined as an instance of political mobilization. Applying web-search data to international trade disputes, I provide evidence for the belief that US citizens are concerned about their country being branded a violator of international law, even when they have no direct material stake in the case at hand. This article constitutes a first attempt at utilizing web-search data to test the building blocks of political economy theory.

Suggested Citation

  • Pelc, Krzysztof J., 2013. "Googling the WTO: What Search-Engine Data Tell Us About the Political Economy of Institutions," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 67(3), pages 629-655, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:intorg:v:67:y:2013:i:03:p:629-655_00
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    Cited by:

    1. David H. Bearce & Thomas R. Cook, 2018. "The first image reversed: IGO signals and mass political attitudes," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 13(4), pages 595-619, December.
    2. Megumi Naoi & Shujiro Urata, 2013. "Free Trade Agreements and Domestic Politics: The Case of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement," Asian Economic Policy Review, Japan Center for Economic Research, vol. 8(2), pages 326-349, December.
    3. Daniel Yuichi Kono & Stephanie J. Rickard, 2014. "Buying National: Democracy, Public Procurement, and International Trade," International Interactions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(5), pages 657-682, October.
    4. Michaël Aklin & Eric Arias & Julia Gray, 2022. "Inflation concerns and mass preferences over exchange‐rate policy," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1), pages 5-40, March.
    5. Siva M. Kumar & K. R. Jayasimha, 2019. "Brand verbs: brand synonymity and brand leadership," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 26(2), pages 110-125, March.

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