Overview
- Provides a wide-ranging contribution to the study of the evolution of Euroscepticism in light of the Eurozone Crisis
- Uses Euroscepticism as a lens for understanding the outcome and consequences of the 2014 European Parliament election in the crisis context
- Includes case studies that geographically span Europe
Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics (PSEUP)
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Table of contents (12 chapters)
Keywords
About this book
This edited collection explores the role of Euroscepticism in the European Parliament (EP) elections of 2014 both in particular EU Member States and across broader regions. It shows how the “second rate” features of elections with no clear agenda-setting role facilitated the astonishing success of Eurosceptic parties while the traditionally “second order” nature of purely legislative elections amplified this outcome, giving it a quite different character than the outcome of any previous EP elections, with potential in turn to affect outcomes of later national elections as well. The chapters draw on a number of different methodological approaches and focus on different perspectives regarding how Euroscepticism played a role in the election context, investigating public opinion, party strategies and media coverage; and assessing how these elections created links to national party politics with likely consequences for electoral success of Eurosceptic parties in future national elections and referendums. This book will be of particular interest to students and scholars in the fields of European politics, voting behavior Euroscepticism.
Reviews
“"The Eurosceptic 2014 European Parliament Elections: Second Order or Second Rate?" shows that despite the popularity of eurosceptic parties in this election, it was, in fact, still largely ‘second order’ in providing a distorted reflection of national political concerns, even in countries where voters would have been expected to vote primarily in opposition to EU-imposed austerity measures. As argued by the book’s editors, this situation is likely to continue as long as EU elections are ‘second rate’—i.e., don’t appear to give voters any real power over the EU’s policy agenda. The book is a must-read for anyone who thinks they understood what happened in the 2014 EP elections but equally important, for grasping the profound effect that European issues are having on national parties and elections despite their second order and second-rate nature in European elections.” (Professor Lauren McLaren, University of Glasgow, UK)
“Understanding the rise of Eurosceptic parties has never been more important. Rather than providing greater democratic legitimacy for the European project, the electoral success of Eurosceptic parties in recent elections to the European Parliament has presented the EU with a daunting challenge. This timely volume develops the argument that the problem with European Parliament elections is that they are essentially still “second rate”. Bringing together leading scholars of European politics, the volume presents nuanced and insightful analyses of the electoral success of Eurosceptic parties in individual member states. This book provides a significant contribution to our understanding electoral politics in Europe.” (Professor Sara Hobolt, London School of Economics, UK)
Editors and Affiliations
About the editors
Mark Franklin is Professor Emeritus of International Politics at Trinity College Connecticut, USA, having previously taught at the universities of Strathclyde, Scotland, and Houston, Texas. As a retirement position he was the inaugural holder of the Stein Rokkan Chair of Comparative Politics at the European University Institute in Florence.
Julie Hassing Nielsen is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and European chief advisor for the Think Tank Kraka. She obtained her PhD from the European University Institute. Her research interests include European integration, Euroscepticism, political psychology and political behavior.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Eurosceptic 2014 European Parliament Elections
Book Subtitle: Second Order or Second Rate?
Editors: Julie Hassing Nielsen, Mark N. Franklin
Series Title: Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58696-4
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan London
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-58695-7Published: 19 December 2016
eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-58696-4Published: 08 December 2016
Series ISSN: 2662-5873
Series E-ISSN: 2662-5881
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XVI, 265
Number of Illustrations: 23 b/w illustrations, 9 illustrations in colour
Topics: European Union Politics, Democracy, European Politics