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Electoral ambitions and European integration

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2009

Werner Feld
Affiliation:
Werner Feld and John K. Wildgen are members of the Department of Political Science at the University of New Orleans, which is a member of the Louisiana State University System.
John K. Wildgen
Affiliation:
Werner Feld and John K. Wildgen are members of the Department of Political Science at the University of New Orleans, which is a member of the Louisiana State University System.
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Extract

Based on interviews with 82 national legislators in all nine member states of the European Community, this article examines and analyzes the attitudes and anticipated behavior of the respondents with respect to political integration. In the analysis we pursued four paths: personal motivations, constituency concerns, views of the European Parliament, and a sketch of the history of efforts for direct elections. According to our findings, political integration offers these legislators neither personal-material, electoral-partisan, nor institutional-prestige rewards that are unambiguous. Nevertheless, the interviews also show considerable expression of support for an expanded level and scope of decision making by the Community institutions and for political union. This might be explained by the attractiveness of a United Europe as a forum in which small and medium powers are able to act as a great power. However, the nation state provides things even more basic to political classes: an identity, immediate access to available power, and opportunities for more power.

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Copyright © The IO Foundation 1975

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