International Economic Integration in Domestic Contestation

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

With the rise of nontraditional parties across much of Europe, contestation over economic globalization is becoming increasingly salient in domestic politics. Critiques of free trade and European integration have shifted into mainstream political discourse, and political actors at both the national and European level are being drawn into the debate over these issues. How do voters respond to this contestation? What factors affect their receptiveness to different narratives on international economic integration? Under what conditions do they continue to trust and support political institutions?

Our panel explores these questions in the context of the backlash against international economic integration in Europe. Each of the four proposed papers attempts to help explain how citizens come to understand and prioritize economic issues within a broader political context. Two papers focus specifically on the role that political parties play in shaping the narratives surrounding economic integration and how this contributes to backlash against globalization. Brianna Howell questions when individuals become mobilized on the issue of free trade and argues that it becomes salient to voters as a result of national identity-based appeals of nonmainstream parties. Nina Obermeier analyzes how populist parties can affect support for international economic integration by linking it to anti-establishment rhetoric.

The two other papers on this panel consider the effect that the economic crisis has had on support for institutions and future prospects of integration. Alexander Kuo and Ignacio Jurado examine how benchmarking affects individuals’ assessments of economic recovery in Southern Europe, and how these assessments in turn influence their policy preferences and level of trust in domestic and EU institutions. Finally, Alexia Katsanidou, Roula Nezi, Gerhard Riener, and Ann-Kathrin Reinl examine how integrated economic policies in times of crisis can influence internal cohesion. They argue that forced integration can lower support for public goods provision. Together, these papers focus on Europeans’ responses to globalization and shed light on some of the opportunities and challenges for the future.

Sub Unit

• DIVISION 16: International Political Economy

Individual Presentations

• Interests, Identities, or Cues?: The Salience of International Trade - Brianna Howell, University of Pittsburgh

• The Anti-Internationalists: Political Parties and Globalization Backlash - Nina Obermeier, Cornell University

• Who Believes the Eurozone Crisis is Over? - Alexander Kuo, University of Oxford; Ignacio Jurado, University of York

• Forced Transnational Solidarity as a Threat to Internal Cohesion - Alexia Katsanidou, GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences; Roula Nezi, GESIS-Leibniz-Institut for the Social Sciences; Gerhard Riener, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf; Ann-Kathrin Reinl, GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences

Chair

• Christina J. Schneider University of California, San Diego

Discussant

• Madeleine O. Hosli Leiden University