Domestic Poliitcal Attitudes and International Behavior in Central America

政治哲学家伊曼纽尔·康德断言，民主国家在国内与非民主国家有着根本的不同。因此，民主国家在国际舞台上的行为与其他类型的国家不同。特别是，他认为，与其他政府形式相比，民主在二元和系统层面上更加平和。这一理论被称为“太平洋联盟”和“民主和平”。这个项目探讨了康德理论的一个组成部分，即民主国家公民的文化规范有利于加强以前敌对的邻国之间的合作与和谐。自康德最初提出这一理论以来，学者们对民主和平存在的原因进行了大量的写作。对于为什么民主国家更有可能与其他民主国家合作，以及它们为什么不与其他民主国家开战，许多作者提出了四个具体的论点。这些争论的核心是支持妥协的民主制度、民主国家之间的高贸易水平、国际机构中不成比例的民主成员比例过高导致复杂的相互依存，以及日益国际化的国内信任和宽容文化规范。前三套论点已经在学术文献中得到了仔细和反复的检验。然而，关于国内民主规范和国际行为之间联系的断言并没有得到有力的证明。该项目评估民主国家的国内政治文化价值观与国际合作与和平之间的联系。研究国际关系的学者依赖于有利于民主的国内规范的代理措施，反过来，他们认为这些相同的价值观会影响国际行为。该项目直接衡量国内的政治文化价值观，以及这些价值观如何通过科学调查研究转化为对邻国的感情。这项研究包括对两个民主化邻国的公民进行科学抽样调查，以评估两组观念：第一，通常与民主有关的价值观的普及度和深度；第二，民主政治文化在多大程度上转化为将同样的价值观延伸到邻国的公民。该项目是在萨尔瓦多和洪都拉斯进行的，这两个民主化国家以前有过相互敌视和不信任的历史。这两个案例也是这个项目的合适场所，因为我西班牙语流利，并且在萨尔瓦多进行调查研究有丰富的经验。如果康德关于民主政治文化的论点是正确的，那么这两个中美洲邻国的公民应该对关于他们的规范和价值观的调查问题表达民主的回应，以及跨越边界的信任和合作的感觉。对于更成熟的民主国家，他们的信任与合作情绪应该更加强烈，但对非民主国家的信任与合作情绪则要弱得多。这项研究填补了关于国内民主与国际和平与合作之间关系的现有文献的空白。通过调查研究直接询问公民的规范和价值观，该项目对民主化在多大程度上有助于改变国际态度和行为提供了一个重要的检验。

Political philosopher Immanuel Kant asserted that democracies are fundamentally different domestically from non-democracies. Accordingly, democracies behave differently than do other types of states in the international arena. In particular, he argued that democracies are more pacific at the dyadic and systemic level than other governmental forms. This theory is known alternatively as the "Pacific Union" and the "Democratic Peace." This project explores one component of the Kantian theory, that is, the contention that the cultural norms of citizens in democracies are favorable to increased cooperation and harmony among formerly hostile neighboring states. Since the time of Kant's initial formulation of the theory, scholars have written extensively about reasons for the existence of a Democratic Peace. Numerous authors have made four specific arguments about why democracies are more likely to cooperate with other democracies and why they do not go to war with other democracies. These arguments center on democracratic institutions that favor compromise, high levels of trade among democracies, disproportionately high levels of democratic membership in international institutions which lead to a complex interdependence, and domestic cultural norms of trust and tolerance which become internationalized. The first three sets of arguments have been tested carefully and repeatedly in the scholarly literature. However, the assertions about the connection between domestic democratic norms and international behavior have not been demonstrated robustly. This project assesses the link between domestic political cultural values of democracies and international cooperation and peace. Scholars of international relations have relied on proxy measures for domestic norms favorable to democracy and, in turn, they have argued that these same values affect international behaviors. This project directly measures both domestic political cultural values and how those values translate into feelings towards neighboring countries through scientific survey research. The research consists of surveying scientific samples of citizens of two democratizing neighboring countries to assess two groups of ideas: first, the prevalence and depth of values associated typically with democracy and, second, the degree to which democratic political culture translates into an extension of the same values to citizens of a neighboring democracy. The project is conducted in El Salvador and Honduras, two democratizing countries that have a prior history of animosity and distrust of each other. The two cases also are appropriate venues for this project in that I am fluent in Spanish and have extensive experience conducting survey research in El Salvador. If the Kantian argument regarding democratic political culture holds true, then citizens of these two Central American neighbors should express both pro-democratic responses to survey questions regarding their norms and values as well as feelings of trust and cooperation across the border. Their feelings of trust and cooperation should be stronger still regarding more established democracies, but considerably weaker toward non-democratic states. This research fills a gap in the existing literature regarding the relationship between democracy domestically and peace and cooperation internationally. By directly asking citizens about their norms and values through survey research, this projects offers an important test of the extent to which democratization contributes to changes in international attitudes and behaviors.