Democracy from below? Citizens’ beliefs and preferences from sub- to supra-national arenas

Abstract

This panel brings together contributions that investigate how citizens understand, evaluate, and imagine democracy across the multiple levels of governance that characterise the European Union. The papers analyse the beliefs, expectations, and normative preferences that individuals hold regarding democratic practice, from local and national contexts to EU‑level institutions. By examining the diversity and tensions in citizens’ democratic understandings and how public expectations may support, challenge, or reshape democratic governance within the EU, the panel offers fresh insights into how democracy is interpreted “from below” in a complex multilevel polity.

Title	Details
Shared Theories of Persuasion? How Citizens and Politicians Evaluate Political Arguments	View Paper Details
Embedded Democracies: How Multilevel Context Shapes Citizens' Democratic Vigilance	View Paper Details
Contemporary European Citizens’ Conceptions of Democracy: Social Class Differences Across Values	View Paper Details
Replacement, Not Inducement: Why Citizens Dislike Politicians Who Care About Re-Election	View Paper Details
What Kind of Supranational Democracy Do Citizens Want? Evidence from Germany and Poland	View Paper Details