Public Opinion and Interest Group Influence : How Citizen Groups Derailed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement

In 2011 and 2012, 31 countries and the European Union (EU) signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which envisages stricter standards for the transnational enforcement of intellectual property rights. Despite strong support for the agreement from business groups, the anti-ACTA campaign that was initiated by an initially small number of citizen groups was successful in derailing the agreement. This result is puzzling because the anti-ACTA side controlled few material resources and should have found it particularly difficult to have its voice heard on an issue negotiated between governments at the international level. What then explains the success of the anti-ACTA campaign? Our response to this question stresses the complex role of public opinion: interest groups shape public opinion; public opinion shapes interest group behaviour; and public opinion shapes policy outcomes. Using this theoretical framework and relying on nearly 100 interviews with groups active on both sides of the ACTA campaign, we explain how citizen groups derailed ACTA