Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 816-835 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | Journal of European Public Policy |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Operationalizing National Preferences on Europe and Differentiated Integration. / LERUTH, Benjamin.
In: Journal of European Public Policy, Vol. 22, No. 6, 2015, p. 816-835.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Operationalizing National Preferences on Europe and Differentiated Integration
AU - LERUTH, Benjamin
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - The existing literature on party and government preferences on Europe mostly focuses on the integration process as a whole. In addition, studies of party-based Euroscepticism tend to offer competing typologies that present some terminological problems. With the increase in differentiation and the potential for disintegration, it is now important to deconstruct support for European integration per policy area. Accordingly, the main purpose of this contribution is to solve problems of existing conceptualizations of e´lite-based Euroscepticism by presenting a specific operationalization of support for European integration. Based on a qualitative analysis of party documents and e´lite interviews, such operationalization focuses on policies and policy areas where differentiation takes place, using a scale ranging from full opposition to full support for integration and taking into account internal divisions. This operationalization is then applied to three Nordic countries that have experienced different levels of (differentiated) integration since the early 1990s: Finland; Sweden; and Norway. The contribution concludes that whereas existing categorizations of Euroscepticism are useful to broadly understand e´lite preferences, operationalizing support for European integration per policy area where differentiation takes place can help understand the mainstreaming of Euroscepticism and offers a more accurate way of understanding new situations where parties supporting and opposing participation in European Union policies co-exist in coalition governments.
AB - The existing literature on party and government preferences on Europe mostly focuses on the integration process as a whole. In addition, studies of party-based Euroscepticism tend to offer competing typologies that present some terminological problems. With the increase in differentiation and the potential for disintegration, it is now important to deconstruct support for European integration per policy area. Accordingly, the main purpose of this contribution is to solve problems of existing conceptualizations of e´lite-based Euroscepticism by presenting a specific operationalization of support for European integration. Based on a qualitative analysis of party documents and e´lite interviews, such operationalization focuses on policies and policy areas where differentiation takes place, using a scale ranging from full opposition to full support for integration and taking into account internal divisions. This operationalization is then applied to three Nordic countries that have experienced different levels of (differentiated) integration since the early 1990s: Finland; Sweden; and Norway. The contribution concludes that whereas existing categorizations of Euroscepticism are useful to broadly understand e´lite preferences, operationalizing support for European integration per policy area where differentiation takes place can help understand the mainstreaming of Euroscepticism and offers a more accurate way of understanding new situations where parties supporting and opposing participation in European Union policies co-exist in coalition governments.
KW - Differentiated integration
KW - Euroscepticism
KW - comparative politics
KW - party politics
KW - government
KW - Northern Europe
U2 - 10.1080/13501763.2015.1020840
DO - 10.1080/13501763.2015.1020840
M3 - Article
VL - 22
SP - 816
EP - 835
JO - Journal of European Public Policy
JF - Journal of European Public Policy
SN - 1350-1763
IS - 6
ER -