When MEPs go national: legislative behaviour in the European Parliament

Programme group Challenges to Democratic Representation

Legislative behaviour of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) is motivated by both ideological and national concerns. Existing studies, however, find mixed and at times conflicting evidence as to which of these determinants best explains MEP behaviour.

This research project aims to reconcile some of tensions by emphasizing the conditions under which MEPs decide to ‘go national’. These conditions include variations in policy domains, party groups and national political cultures. This research thus goes beyond a mere either-or dichotomy, and investigates when, how and why ideology and nationality matter.   

Research question 

The central research question is: Under what circumstances does nationality matter for MEPs’ legislative behaviour? The main hypothesis states that not only ideological lines of conflict but also geographical borders should account under some particular circumstances for the legislative behaviour of MEPs.

The results obtained by means of a mixed methods research strategy, which combines quantitative data collection and analysis (e.g. the nalysis of roll-call votes and co-sponsorship analysis) with qualitative data collection and analysis (e.g. elite interviews with MEPs), should shed light on the national dimension of EP policymaking at a time when EU institutions induce increasing distrust from considerable segments of the European electorate.

Funding: NWO Onderzoekstalent

29 October 2014