The geography of EU discontent

Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés, Lewis Dijkstra and Hugo Poelman
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Andrés Rodríguez-Pose

No 14040, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: Support for parties opposed to EU-integration has risen rapidly and a wave of discontent has taken over the EU. This discontent is purportedly driven by the very factors behind the surge of populism: differences in age, wealth, education, or economic and demographic trajectories. This paper maps the geography of EU discontent across more than 63,000 electoral districts in the EU-28 and assesses which factors push anti-EU voting. The results show that anti-EU vote is mainly a consequence of local economic and industrial decline in combination with lower employment and a less educated workforce. Many of the other suggested causes of discontent, by contrast, matter less than expected or their impact varies depending on levels of opposition to European integration.

Keywords: Anti-europeanism; Anti-system voting; Populism; Economic decline; Industrial decline; Education; Migration; European union (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 R11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cdm, nep-geo and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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Related works:
Journal Article: The geography of EU discontent (2020)
Working Paper: The geography of EU discontent (2020)
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