Author Description

The book addresses the topic of EU legitimacy by exploring the forms, origins and effects of citizens' support to EU institutions. Through examining the wide-ranging levels of support, the authors show how these multi-faceted attitudes cast shade on the outdated, somewhat one-dimensional concept of Euroscepticism. Di Mauro and Memoli not only observe how political issues and the economic crisis affect public opinion, but also demonstrate how national contexts play a crucial role in shaping attitudes towards Europe at any level of support. This volume shows how the lack of accountability in the EU system makes it increasingly vulnerable to the negative effects of economic and societal shocks, and the 'national lens' that we view the EU through influences our voting choices. Danilo Di Mauro is post-doc fellow at the University Unitelma Sapienza in Rome, Italy, and Research Assistant at the European University Institute (EUI) where he was Marie Curie Research Fellow. Vincenzo Memoli is Assistant Professor at the University of Catania, Italy. His main research interests include democracy, public attitudes and public opinion.