Our research has found vast public support for a democratic global government [Video]

WORLD LEADERS CONVENED at the United Nations Summit of the Future in New York this week. Politicians and delegates from civil society and the private sector attended to discuss and adopt the Pact for the Future.

The organisers of the Summit have claimed it “offers a chance to commit to bold new solutions”. What could such bold new solutions look like? Our research suggests that the international public supports very bold ideas.

In a new study, recently published in the International Studies Quarterly, we found that overwhelming majorities of citizens in 17 countries across the global South, North, East, and West support the creation of a democratic world government to tackle pressing global challenges such as climate change, war and poverty. However, one country stands out as an exception: the United States.

Support for democratic world government

After World War II, public figures like Albert Einstein and Jawaharlal Nehru supported the eternal idea of a world government to foster global peace and security. Today, scholars promote similar …