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The imbalanced effect of politicization: How EU politicization favours Eurosceptic parties

Author

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  • Laurie Beaudonnet

    (Department of Political Science, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada)

  • Raul Gomez

    (Department of Politics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK)

Abstract

This article investigates how the systemic politicization of the EU is associated with support for different political parties. We argue that, while politicization involves actions by both Eurosceptic and Europhile parties, it does not affect parties at both extremes of the continuum in the same way. To investigate these differentiated effects, we leverage data from the European Elections Study and the Chapel Hill expert survey covering two decades (1999 to 2019). The evidence supports the hypothesis that, when it comes to voters’ preferences, politicization strongly favours Eurosceptic parties. We conclude that the systemic politicization of European issues is thus a one-way street leading to the reinforcement of the constraining dissensus on the EU.

Suggested Citation

  • Laurie Beaudonnet & Raul Gomez, 2024. "The imbalanced effect of politicization: How EU politicization favours Eurosceptic parties," European Union Politics, , vol. 25(2), pages 354-375, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:eeupol:v:25:y:2024:i:2:p:354-375
    DOI: 10.1177/14651165231220615
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    References listed on IDEAS

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