Politicizing Europe?

This project examines the role of EU issues in national election campaigns and voting behavior in Denmark, France, Germany, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom between 1987 and 2007. By conducting content analysis, in-depth interviews and utilizing survey data, the project investigates 1) the way in which EU issues feature in partisan and media debates at time of an election, and 2) the impact of these partisan and media debates on voters' attitudes and behavior in national elections. The project thus explores the intersection between party politics, mass media and popular elections to explain recent contestation regarding EU matters in national political arenas. Consequently, it carries important substantive and empirical implications for current debates among scholars, politicians, journalists and practitioners about the increase of popular Euroskeptic sentiment, the democratic deficit, the role of political parties and the mass media in framing Europe as well as for broad discussions regarding political representation and the role of the mass media in modern-day democracies.