Moving across national borders? The Europeanization of the Anti-Biotech Movement

• In Event: Public Engagement in Science and Technology Policy 1

Abstract

The emergence of the EU has led to ambivalent expectations as to the viability of supranational democracy. In particular, expectations diverge as to the chances for the emergence of a European public sphere. Pessimists consider national fragmentation to be a major obstacle, optimists believe that transnational protest movements might bring about such a sphere. Contributing empirically to the debate, this study measures the Europeanization of the anti-biotech movement in the EU. It draws on a quantitative protest event analysis covering the period from 1995 to 2009 in Austria, France, Germany, Spain, and the UK, as well as in the sub-, supra- and transnational sphere (N = 1,865), and compares four pathways to Europeanization: domestication, externalization, supranationalization, and transnational pressure. It explains the relative prominence of these pathways by a general theory of movement behaviour based on transaction costs and contextual opportunities and the specifics of the EU's GM policy domain; and also examines alternatives to these standard predictions. While Europeanization is presented as a multi-level process entailing national, sub-, supra- and transnational arenas, nation states remain the key arenas of movement for Europeanization, which is reinforced by the contentious character of the GM policy domain. While grassroots actors show a certain tendency towards transnational activism, only well-resourced, professional actors exploit opportunities at all levels. In sum, the study lends support to the pessimistic vision that national fragmentation is a persistent feature of Europe's public space.

Author

• Franz Seifert, University of Vienna