Eurosceptics in the European Parliament: Exit or Voice?

Brack Nathalie

Eurosceptics in the European Parliament: Exit or Voice?

Euroscepticism at the supranational level has remained largely overlooked by scholars. In an attempt to fill in this gap, this article focuses on the persistent minority of hard eurosceptic MEPs. The objective is twofold. First, it aims to determine how Eurosceptic MEPs conceive and carry out their representative mandate. Second, it analyzes the impact of the institutional framework and of the visions of Europe on the strategies of these MEPs. Drawing on the insights of role theory and the dichotomy of A. Hirschman and using a qualitative methodology, the article proposes a typology of three main parliamentary roles (the absentee, the pragmatist and the public orator), corresponding to a continuum between exit and voice. It also shows that both the visions of Europe as well as the institutional context affect the parliamentary roles of MEPs.

Type Article
Identificateur urn:issn:E225141
Language en
Length 151 168
Themes
  • Europe as a Community of Norms and Values
Discipline(s)
  • Intégration et coopération européenne
  • Partis politiques groupes de pression
  • Science politique générale
Publication date 2012
Notes
  • SCOPUS: ar.j
Keywords
  • Euroscepticisme
  • Député européen
  • Rôles
  • représentation politique
  • exit/voice
ULB Institutional Reference http://hdl.handle.net/2013/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/129545