Dark Matter
Institutional Constraints and the Failure of Party-Based Euroscepticism in Germany
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7972943 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Charles Lees (0000-0002-3517-2211, University of Sussex, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2002 |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 244-267 |
| Publication date | 2002-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0032-3217 • E-ISSN: 1467-9248 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1111/1467-9248.00369 |
| OpenAlex | W2069332572 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 17 |
| References cited | 26 |
The article is built on four propositions. First, there is a latent potential within the German polity for the mobilisation of what remains a significant level of popular unease about aspects of the ongoing process of European integration. Second, at present this potential is unfulfilled and, as a result, Euroscepticism remains the ‘dark matter’ of German politics. Third, the absence of a clearly stated Eurosceptical agenda is not due to the inherent ‘enlightenment’ of the German political class about the European project, but rather is the result of systemic disincentives shaping the preferences of rational acting politicians. Finally, these systemic disincentives are to be found within the formal institutions of the German polity. The key ideas here are of ‘hard’ versus ‘soft’ Eurosceptical narratives, sustained versus heresthetic agendas, and ‘polis constraining’ versus ‘polis shaping’ strategies for their promotion. Political agents' choice of strategy depends on the nature of the institutional setting within which they are operating. The institutional configuration of the Federal Republic provides poor returns for party-based Euroscepticism. The mobilisation of popular unease about aspects of European integration remains an unattractive option for rational acting political agents
Economic policy · Economic system · Economics · Enlightenment · European integration · European union · German · Political economy · Political opportunity · Political science · Politics · Polity · Social movement · Sociology · European Union Policy and Governance · Law · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Political Systems and Governance
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Varieties of Euroscepticism
Participatory Populism
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The Comparative Politics of Communist Euroscepticism in France, Italy and Spain
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Go Your Own Way
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Sleeping Giant
Getting Ethnic Questions on the Agenda
Political Parties in the European Union
Legitimacy and the European Union
Essence of Decision
The Transformation of the Western European Party Systems
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Power in Movement
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Introduction
An agenda for the study of institutions
The Federal Republic of Germany and the European Community
Beyond Semi‐sovereignty
A Touchstone of Dissent
The Past in the Present
Foreign Policy Gaps between Citizens and Leaders
Conclusion
The German Lander and EU enlargement
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Coalitions
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| Unique citing works | 17 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,81 |
| Citation span | 2005 - 2025 (21) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 17 |