Preferences of Japanese and European citizens regarding trade policy: Survey Experiment Study in Japan, Italy, and Germany

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K01371
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 06020:International relations-related
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: Fujita Taisuke 長崎大学, 経済学部, 准教授 (40584694)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 貿易政策 / 世論 / サーベイ実験

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Which trade partner country is more likely to make people approve of trade liberalization, and why? Many existing studies have emphasized the influence of economic and social factors on their attitudes. Moreover, these analyses have been conducted mainly in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Hence, this study conducted online survey experiments in Japan, Germany, and Italy. The analysis revealed that geopolitical relations affect people’s trade preferences. This causal relationship was similarly observed among the three countries.

Free Research Field

国際関係論

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

先進民主主義諸国において貿易自由化を考える際、（既存研究のように）経済的要因や社会的だけを考慮していては不十分であり、安全保障要因が貿易選好に影響することを（そのメカニズムも含めて）明らかにした。国際関係論において国家間関係の改善に向けて主張される処方箋の１つに、「経済的な関係を高めることで、安全保障関係を改善する」というものがある。本研究の成果はこうした処方箋の道筋が容易ではないことを示唆する点で、社会的意義を有すると思われる。