Gros, D., Piedrafita, S., (2014), “Common Misconceptions about the European Parliamentary Elections”, CEPR Commentary, May.
Much commentary on the EP elections has followed the line that the European Parliament somehow has less democratic legitimacy because the participation rate is low, and that these elections are taken less seriously because people’s trust in the EU institutions in general and the European Parliament in particular is low. Both arguments lose much of their validity if the numbers are judged in a wider context, however, especially if one compares participation rates in mid-term congressional elections in the United States.
Relevant posts:
- Palmer, J. (2014) “After The European Elections – How Will The EU Leadership Respond?“, Social Europe Journal, 27 May.
- McDonnell, D. (2014) “The rise of Euroscepticism across Europe has masked general apathy about the European elections among voters“, LSE EUROPP, 29 April.