INCORPORATION MODELS AND PUBLIC OPINION IN CANADA, FRANCE, AND GREAT BRITAIN, 2001-2011

Abstract

This study looks at the linkages between incorporation models and public opinion. The intention of the study is to determine if a state’s incorporation model shapes public opinion or if public opinion shapes the incorporation model. Using Canada, France, and Great Britain as case studies, I explore the question of policy responsiveness to shifts in public opinion, as influenced by immigration, security, and economic concerns. By examining comparative polling data, major events timelines, and single state polling information, I determine that both incorporation models and public opinion have largely been stable over the past decade in Canada and France. In contrast, shifting public opinion in Great Britain has resulted in major changes to the incorporation model in place and relations between state and society. This suggests that there are major differences between the three states in the ways in which public opinion is incorporated into the decision- and policy-making process.