The EU through Multiple Crises Representation and Cohesion Dilemmas for a “sui generis” Polity

This book explores the mechanisms of political representation and accountability in the European political system, against the backdrop of multiple crises in recent years in the economic, financial, security and immigration fields, which have triggered strong tensions and centrifugal drives inside the EU and among its member states. Exploiting a rich set of new ad hoc collected data covering elite and public opinion orientations and party positions, it investigates how the current politicization of European issues and the asymmetries among member states can challenge the sustainability of the European Union. It examines how existing policy tools were found largely unable to neutralize promptly the negative effects of these crises on the populations, economies and security of the Union and how this suggests the need to reconsider overarching theoretical frameworks and a more in-depth analysis of some crucial mechanisms of the European political system and to go beyond some of the dominant scholarly debates of the past decades. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of theEuropean Union and more broadly to comparative European politics and international relations.

Introduction: The Challenges to the European Representation System –Away from the ‘old normal’? Maurizio Cotta and Pierangelo Isernia 1. The Changing Political Landscape in Europe Gary Marks, David Attewell, Jan Rovny and Liesbet Hooghe 2. The Impact of Eurosceptic Challenger Parties of the Left and Right on Party Competition over Europe Daniela Braun, Sebastian Adrian Popa and Hermann Schmitt 3. Who is to Blame for European Crises? Nicolò Conti and Francesco Marangoni 4. Crisis and the Complex Path of Burden-sharing in the EU Linda Basile, Rossella Borri and Luca Verzichelli 5. When the Going Gets Tough: Who should take responsibility in times of crisis – European or national institutions? Sabrina Cavatorto, Maurizio Cotta and Federico Russo 6. Representation at Work: Miller and Stokes go to Brussels Davide Angelucci, Pierangelo Isernia and Kaat Smets 7. A Deliberative Bridge over the Mass-elite Rift: Effects of online deliberation on support for European integration Francesco Olmastroni, Valentina Bianchi and Alison Duguid 8. Group Decision-making in a Public Goods Game: A cross-country experiment Valeria Faralla and Alessandro Innocenti Conclusion: Taking up arms against a sea of troubles Maurizio Cotta and Pierangelo Isernia

Maurizio Cotta is Senior Professor of Comparative Politics at the Università di Siena, Italy. Pierangelo Isernia is Jean Monnet Professor of Culture and International Relations at the Università di Siena, Italy.