Abstract
The European sovereign debt crisis provides an excellent opportunity for examining the extent to which public preferences constrain member state preferences for EU policy solutions. We examine the influence of public opinion on austerity, spending, and regulation on member state preferences on 4 major EU solutions to the crisis from 20I0-2011: the initial Greek financial rescue, the creation of the European Stability Mechanism, the reform of the Stability and Growth pact, and enhanced EU financial regulation. Our analysis reveals that prior to elections and/or when there is a degree of fragmentation in the governing party or coalition public opinion constrains member state preferences. In the absence of these conditions, however, member states ignored public opinion and followed elite preferences concerning solutions to the sovereign debt crisis.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The European Union Beyond the Crisis: Evolving Governance, Contested Policies, and Disenchanted Publics |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2014 |
Keywords
- sovereign debt crisis
- public opinion
- EU policymaking
- member states
- political elite
- economic elite
- policymaking
- party ideologies
Disciplines
- Models and Methods
- Political Science
- Political Theory