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Representation through the eyes of the voter: a cost-benefit analysis of European integration

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2016

Gabriela Borz
Gabriela Borz*
Affiliation:
School of Government and Public Policy, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
*
*E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

This article explains variation in the quality of representation in the context of European Parliament elections. Specifically, it clarifies how voters relate to political parties on the issue of European integration and whether they are represented, misrepresented, or indifferent to this issue. The analysis shows that perceived benefits of European integration do drive a perfect voter-party match while perceived costs, when high, drive a perfect match between Eurosceptic voters and likeminded parties and make voters less indifferent. The analysis draws attention to the high number of status quo voters who, in the absence of a party with similar views, could channel their vote towards a party promoting integration, but only if their knowledge about the EU and its benefits increases.

Keywords

representationEU integrationelectionsvoting behaviour
Type
Research Article
Information
Italian Political Science Review / Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica , Volume 46 , Special Issue 2: The 2014 European Parliament Elections: Representation, Euroscepticism, Populism and the Economic Crisis , July 2016 , pp. 175 - 197
Copyright
© Società Italiana di Scienza Politica 2016 

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Borz Dataset

Dataset

https://dx.doi.org/10.7910/DVN/RWGETW
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