The Impact of EU Politicisation on Voting Behaviour in Europe

This open access book focuses on the importance that EU politicization has gained in European democracies and the consequences for voting behaviour in six countries of the EU: Belgium, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain. Most of the studies which research the way the EU is being legitimised focus on the European Parliament elections. In this book we argue that to understand how EU accountability works, it is necessary to focus instead on national elections and the national political environment. Through a detailed, multimethod analysis this book establishes rigorously the paths of European accountability at the national level, its propitious contexts in the media and parliamentary debates, and whether the paths are similar from Greece to Germany. The findings have implications for both national and European Union democracy, underlining the importance that national institutions have in enabling citizens to hold the EU accountable. Acknowledgements Contents Notes on Contributors Abbreviations List of Figures List of Tables 1 Holding Europe Accountable Nationally: Media, Parliaments and Voting in Europe Introduction The Book’s Argument The Book’s Contribution EU Politicisation Holding the EU Accountable? Data Collection The Book Chapters References 2 News vs. Opinion Articles on the European Union: The Politicisation of the EU in the Mainstream Press Introduction Literature Review Research Questions, Data and Methods Results Conclusion Appendix References 3 Parties Acting Strategically: National Parliaments’ Role in Holding the EU Accountable Introduction Literature Review Expectations, Data, and Methods Results and Discussion Conclusion Appendix Bibliography 4 Polity or Policies? The European Union in Parliamentary Debates and the Media Introduction Literature Review The Politicization of the European Union Where is the EU Politicized? The Multidimensional Nature of the EU Expectations Methods and Data Results Conclusion Appendix 4.1 Appendix 4.2 References 5 Experimental Evidence of EU Issue Voting EU Issue Voting in Legislative Elections Experimental Evidence of EU Issue Voting Data and Experimental Design Results Conclusions Appendix Table of Contents Experiment Material Example of Conjoint Round Analysis Robustness Checks Additional Matches Alternative “EU Distance” Bibliography 6 The Left–Right Dimension, Europe and Voting in Bailout Europe Introduction European Integration Issue Voting Before and After the Crisis Southern Europe, the Left–Right Dimension and EU Issue Voting EU Issue Voting in Context: The Tone of Parliamentary Debates Data and Methods Results Conclusions Appendix References 7 EU Issue Voting in Simultaneous Elections: The Case of Belgium Introduction EU Issue Voting in Context: Belgium as a Least-Likely Case Study Politicisation of EU in Media and Parliamentary Debates Modelling EU Issue Voting in 2019 Results Conclusion Appendix 1: Full Tables of Models Presented in the Text Appendix 2: Replication of the Results Using Vote Intentions (Survey Wave 1) References 8 The Importance of EU Issues in German Elections Introduction Politicization of the EU in the German Media and Parliamentary Debates The 2021 Elections Determinants of German Voting Behaviour in the 2021 Elections Data and Methods Findings Conclusion Appendix References 9 After the Crisis: EU Issue Voting in Greece Introduction EU Issue Voting in Context Politicization of the EU in the Media and Parliamentary Debates Modelling EU Issue Voting in 2019 Dispute Between Greece and North Macedonia Explaining Voting in Greece’s 2019 General Elections Conclusion Appendix References 10 Salient But Not Polarized: The Role of the EU in the Irish Electoral Arena Introduction Ireland’s Relationship with the EU: Stable Support Despite the Euro Crisis and Brexit The Elections of 2020—An End to Irish Exceptionalism? Politicization of the EU in the Irish Media and Parliamentary Debates The Media Parliamentary Debates Determinants of Irish Voting Behaviour in the 2020 Elections Data and Methodology Results Conclusions Appendix References 11 Portugal: EU Issue Voting in Mainstream and Challenger Parties Introduction Parties, Voting and the EU in Portugal Studying the EU Across Different Forums: The Case of Portugal The 2019 Election Campaign: Media and Parliamentary Data Benchmarking EU Issue Voting in Portugal Conclusions Appendix References 12 A Broken National Consensus? EU Issue Voting and the Radical Right in Spain Introduction Politicization of the EU in Media and Parliamentary Debates Did EU Preferences Matter for Voting Decisions? Conclusion: European Integration Discourses and EU Issue Voting in Spain Appendix References 13 Consequences of EU Politicisation for Voting in National Elections Further Research References Correction to: A Broken National Consensus? EU Issue Voting and the Radical Right in Spain Correction to: Chapter 12 in: M. Costa Lobo (ed.), The Impact of EU Politicisation on Voting Behaviour in Europe, Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29187-6_12 Index