The relationship between EU fiscal transfers and the European policy profile of political parties

Bibliographic Data

ID24229986
AuthorsJohannes Lattmann (0000-0001-5134-8806, University of Mannheim), Marc Debus (0000-0002-7151-7942, University of Mannheim)
Year2026
Publication date2026-10-08
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueParty Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1354-0688 • E-ISSN: 1460-3683
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/13540688261492177
OpenAlexW7220930907
LanguageEN
References cited23

This research note examines how fiscal transfers within the European Union shape the programmatic strategies of domestic political parties. We argue that a country’s net-contributor or net-receiving status conditions the strategies how parties articulate their positions on European integration. In net-receiving states, Euroskeptic parties strategically mute EU-related rhetoric to avoid undermining their broader policy stance. Moreover, the increase in pro-EU positions among parties in net-receiving states is driven mainly by support for further EU-level redistribution. We evaluate these claims using Chapel Hill Expert Survey data from 2002–2024 and a regression discontinuity design that uses continuous measures of net contributions to the EU budget. The empirical analyses, in which we also test for a linear relationship, align with our expectations. Euroskeptic parties mention the EU less in net-receiving contexts while beneficiary status solely shifts party positions toward pro-redistribution preferences at the EU level. These results illustrate how Euroskeptic parties cope with the potential positive impacts of the EU.

EU budget contributions · European integration · party programmatic positions · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · European Politics and Security · European Union Policy and Governance

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access