Framing the European Union

Reviews / Votes

'Failed national referendums on proposals to change EU treaties have been a major reason for declining European Union legitimacy and political crisis. Ece OEzlem Atikcan proposes new ways to explain this. Using concepts from the social movement literature and excellent interview data, Atikcan elegantly refocuses our understanding not only of EU referendums, but also on the intimate workings of direct democracy.' George Ross, Universite de Montreal 'An empirically rich and theoretically insightful study of direct democracy in action. Atikcan provides valuable insights into both the national and European political context of the major referendums of the past decade in Europe.' Lawrence LeDuc, University of Toronto 'Framing the European Union masterfully unites concepts from comparative politics, international relations, and sociology to reveal the central role of campaign dynamics in six crucial EU referendums. When 'no' campaigners used emotional appeals linking the EU vote with contentious issues such as immigration, they could overcome initially favorable public opinion and win the day. Destined to become a classic in EU studies.' Juliet Johnson, McGill University