Euroscepticism and the Future of European Integration

The European Union (EU) is facing one of the rockiest periods in its existence. No time in its history has it looked so economically fragile, so unsecure about how to protect its borders, so divided over how to tackle the crisis of legitimacy facing its institutions, and so under assault of Eurosceptic parties. The unprecedented levels of integration in recent decades have led to increased public contestation, yet at the same the EU is more reliant on public support for its continued legitimacy than ever before. This book examines the role of public opinion in the European integration process. It develops a novel theory of public opinion that stresses the deep interconnectedness between people's views about European and national politics, and suggests that public opinion cannot simply be characterized as either Eurosceptic or not, but rather consists of different types. This is important because these types coincide with fundamentally different views about the way the EU should be reformed and which policy priorities should be pursued. These types also have very different consequences for behaviour in elections and referenda. Euroscepticism is such a diverse phenomenon because the Eurozone crisis has exacerbated the structural imbalances within the EU. As the economic and political fates of member states diverged, people's experiences with and evaluations of the EU and national political systems also grew further apart. The heterogeneity in public preferences that this book has uncovered makes a one-size-fits-all approach to addressing Euroscepticism unlikely to be successful.

Table of Contents:
Part One: Public Opinion and European Integration Introduction: Losing Hearts and Minds? Taking Stock of EU Public Opinion 1: What Is the Matter with Europe? The Puzzles of Euroscepticism Part Two: The Nature of Support and Scepticism 2: In or Out? A Benchmark Theory of Support and Scepticism 3: Kicking Up a Fuss? From Permissive to Responsive Support and Scepticism Part Three: A Typology of Support and Scepticism 4: A Divided Public? Types of Support and Scepticism 5: Common People? Who Are Supporters and Sceptics and What Do They Want? Part Four: The Consequences of Support and Scepticism 6: Going Hard or Soft? Party Choice of Supporters and Sceptics 7: Brexit and Beyond: Leave and Remain Preferences of Supporters and Sceptics Part Five: Public Opinion and The Future of Europe 8: Change or Die? Reform Preferences of Supporters and Sceptics Conclusion: A Divided Public, a Divided Union: Where Do We Go From Here?

About the Author :
Catherine E. De Vries is a Professor of Politics at the Department of Government at the University of Essex. Over the years, she has published extensively on European Union politics, elections as well as public opinion and party strategy in leading academic journals as well as the popular press. She received the 2014 Emerging Scholar Award of the American Political Science Association's Section on Elections, Public Opinion and Voting Behaviour. Next to her research and teaching activities, she has been involved in variety of political consultancy projects aimed at improving public policy. In 2013, she was selected a Young Global Leader Forum of the World Economic Forum for academic and social engagement.

Review :
Professor De Vries' book is [..] a well-timed attempt to examine the nature of Euroscepticism and the role of public opinion which she sees as fundamentally formed by national circumstances. There is nothing more important for the sustainable future of Europe than to come to grips with what Euroscepticism is really all about. In her new book, Catherine De Vries has managed the ultimate scholarly feat: to do justice the complex multifaceted nature of the skeptic tribes while at the very same time leaving the reader with a simple message. And the message is this: all is relative! The more one feels confident about one's country ability to cope alone, the more one can afford to diss the EU. This is an impressive book, and its timing couldn't be better. The question of what fuels Euroscepticism and why it seems to vary across and within countries is central to domestic politics in the EU and to the future of EU itself. In this book, Catherine De Vries develops a creative, original and insightful explanation for how the national context shapes Euroscepticism. The empirical analyses are superb both in characterizing public opinion and in the messy business of untangling what causes what. The findings are sure to provide valuable grist for the mill for politicians, EU officials, and journalist interested in making sense of, addressing, and perhaps even exploiting contemporary public resistance to the EU. Catherine De Vries carefully crafts a provocative argument in her book, Euroskepticism and the Future of European Integration. Rejecting conventional mono-dimensional conceptualizations of Euroskepticism, this book makes two fresh claims. First, that Euroskepticism is multidimensional: it can target the European Union as a producer of public goods or as a regime. Second, Euroskepticism is relational: it takes shape in conversation with one's reference pointis there a viable alternative to EU membership? This elegant two-by-two typology is tremendously powerful in illuminating ambivalence about Europe. This is a superbly written, wonderfully perceptive, book, which will move the posts in the field of public opinion. De Vries' analysis brings order to the cacophony of public opinion on Europe. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the timely issue of Euroscepticism and the challenges facing the European Union. De Vries presents a compelling new theory of Euroscepticsm, arguing that national institutions and policies provide an essential benchmark for citizens' views on the EU. She presents a wealth of empirical evidence supporting her arguments. This book will surely become the new benchmark for any future work on public attitudes towards the EU.