In International Organizations We Trust?

Working Title: In International Organizations We Trust? Explaining Public Support of WHO Policy Recommendations (with Alex Thompson and Jieun Oh)

Pre-Analysis Plan (prepared for and presented at PEIO 2025): here

Abstract: When does the public trust the policy recommendations of international organizations (IOs)? During COVID-19, an unprecedented number of states enacted restrictive border measures despite the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendations against their use. Using border restrictions as an empirical case, this study explores whether and when the public trusts information from IOs. We begin by comparing trust in the WHO’s recommendations to a baseline of public health experts at the domestic level. We then explore two sets of variables that influence trust and thus moderate the impact of information provision. First, we manipulate the extent to which the WHO is described as an authoritative and independent source of expert information. Second, we look at a variety of individual characteristics that previous scholarship has identified as contributing to trust in IOs. Through an experimental research design that collects novel data at the individual level, this research contributes to a better understanding of responses by states during public health emergencies and of how the public evaluates IOs as trustworthy policy recommenders.