Exploring public support for extraterritorial jurisdiction over natural resource extraction: Survey insights from the United States

Abstract

Over the past two decades, a number of national policies have been implemented with the aim of holding companies accountable for their actions abroad. While previous studies have examined the political processes leading to the formulation of these policies, there remains a significant gap in our understanding of public support for such measures. This paper seeks to address this gap by examining the extent to which domestic audiences endorse the concept of extraterritorial jurisdiction concerning the conditions under which natural resources are extracted abroad. The analysis presented in this paper is grounded in a representative online survey conducted in the United States, encompassing a sample size of 660 respondents.Overall, the survey findings reveal widespread public endorsement for the notion that U.S. companies should be held answerable under domestic regulations for their activities conducted overseas. When presented with the specific case of conflict minerals and various policy options, approximately half of the respondents identified the governments of end markets as one of the top three responsible actors for addressing this issue. While individuals' political ideologies exhibited a certain degree of correlation with their likelihood of supporting these policies, the link with their broader foreign policy beliefs was stronger. Those individuals who espoused a more cosmopolitan outlook and exhibited less isolationist tendencies were found to be more inclined to support extraterritorial jurisdiction policies.In conclusion, the study's results underscore the fact that the promotion of policies designed to hold domestic companies accountable for their overseas actions enjoys substantial public backing, transcending partisan lines. Furthermore, these findings emphasize the significant role played by broader conceptions of a country's role in international affairs in shaping public opinion on this matter.