New research finds overwhelming worldwide public support for a democratic global government to tackle transnational challenges like climate change and peace
International majorities of people support establishing a democratic world government to tackle transnational issues such as climate change, peace, and poverty, according to new research from Oxford’s DPIR and Dublin City University.
In recent surveys on more than 42,000 respondents in 17 countries, representing more than half of the global population, the idea received high levels of support worldwide – from Australia, Canada, Colombia, France, and the UK, to China, Egypt, India, Kenya, and Russia.
In their recently published article in the International Studies Quarterly – Who on Earth Wants a World Government, What Kind, and Why? – co-authors Dr Farsan Ghassim (DPIR) and Dr Markus Pauli (Dublin City University), argue that the diversity of countries supportive of the idea, illustrates its broad appeal.
Commenting on the research, Dr Ghassim, Junior Research Fellow in Politics at The Queen’s College, says:
“While there is obviously a long way to go until the possible establishment of a democratic global government focusing on transnational issues, our surveys in recent years demonstrate that citizens worldwide overwhelmingly support such ideas – despite the current resurgence of nationalist authoritarian populism.”
Dr Pauli, Assistant Professor in Political Science at Dublin City University, comments:
“The vast public support worldwide for a democratic global government that addresses major international challenges is impressive. This reflects people’s willingness to address crises such as climate change, war, and poverty with the help of stronger, democratic global institutions.”
Their article is in the top five percent of all research outputs scored by Altmetric, an academic tool that analyses online attention. The study has featured in media around the world, from The South China Morning Post in Hong Kong to The Mandarin in Australia and The Journal in Ireland, as well as in blogs of the European Journal of International Law and Democracy Without Borders.
