"Institutional Power and Public Opinion about EU Institutions"
Abstract:
Variation in public support for the EU has been modeled as the result of economic interests, national security concerns, and shifts in ideology and cultural values. Given the ongoing work of the Convention on the Future of Europe, we argue that it is time for the public opinion literature to examine the effects of variation in the political power of different actors within the EU political system. Individuals from nations or groups which exert disproportionate power within the current institutions should be most supportive of the EU in general, and particularly supportive of the institutions where they enjoy the greatest influence. The results have important implications for the likely reaction of the European public to attempts to reform or recast the institutions of the EU during the 2004 Inter Governmental Conference.
Paper text in PDF format.
* Co-authored with Gregory Johnston. Prepared for delivery at the 2003 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, August 28 - August 31, 2003.
Leonard Ray
Department of Political Science
240 Stubbs Hall
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
lray2@lsu.edu