In person icon The Politics of Blame and Credit in the EU’s Multi-Level System

Abstract

As the European Union (EU) is facing vast challenges from outside, its ability to deliver is severely compromised by internal challenges. Scapegoating Europe for undesired developments is in high demand as European governments seek to navigate the polycrisis while populism is on the rise and the disinformation business is flourishing. The supply for blaming Europe also appears vast. Policymaking in the EU’s multi-level governance system is commonly assumed to blur political accountability. The division of competencies across local, national, and supranational levels of government make it difficult for the public to allocate responsibility for political decisions. It also allows national-level and EU-level policymakers to claim credit for positive outcomes and shift blame for negative ones onto other levels. This panel aims to advance our understanding of the politics of blame and credit in the EU multi-level system and its consequences for EU politics during a time of polycrisis: Which blame shifting or credit claiming strategies do policymakers at different levels employ to cue public opinion? And how do they respond to these challenges? Under which conditions does the public attribute credit or blame to national or EU-level policymakers? And how does this affect trust in the EU and compliance with its policies? The contributions to this panel draw on a diversity of theoretical and methodological approaches to provide answers to these questions.

Title	Details
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Credit Claiming Through Omission	View Paper Details
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