The geography of EU discontent and the regional development trap

Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, Lewis Dijkstra and Hugo Poelman

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: While in recent times many regions have flourished, many others are stuck—or are at risk of becoming stuck—in a development trap. Such regions experience decline in economic growth, employment, and productivity relative to their neighbors and to their own past trajectories. Prolonged periods in development traps are leading to political dissatisfaction and unrest. Such discontent is often translated into support for antisystem parties at the ballot box. In this article we study the link between the risk, intensity, and duration of regional development traps and the rise of discontent in the European Union (EU)—proxied by the support for Eurosceptic parties in national elections between 2013 and 2022—using an econometric analysis at a regional level. The results highlight the strong connection between being stuck in a development trap, often in middle- or high-income regions, and support for Eurosceptic parties. They also suggest that the longer the period of stagnation, the stronger the support for parties opposed to European integration. This relationship remains robust whether considering only the most extreme Eurosceptic parties or including parties with more moderate levels of Euroscepticism.

Keywords: discontent; euroscepticism; development trap; economic growth; employment; productivity; regions; EU (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 R11 R58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 33 pages
Date: 2024-06-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eec, nep-eur, nep-geo, nep-pol, nep-tid and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published in Economic Geography, 1, June, 2024, 100(3), pp. 213 - 245. ISSN: 0013-0095

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http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/122411/ Open access version. (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: The Geography of EU Discontent and the Regional Development Trap (2024)
Working Paper: The geography of EU discontent and the regional development trap (2024)
Working Paper: The geography of EU discontent and the regional development trap (2024)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:122411

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