European Identity amongst political representatives in peripheral regions: A Social Identity Perspec

1
European Identity amongst political
representatives in peripheral regions A Social
Identity Perspective

• Why this research?
• Why a social identity approach?
• Hypotheses Methods
• Case studies
• Findings
• Discussion

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Why this research?

• New Regionalism Multi-Level Governance
• Which regions mobilise in the EU?
• Which channels are effective?
• Strategic games?
• Regional Social Capital?
• - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
  - - - - - - - -
• The Normative debate
• 1991/1993 TEU as catalyst
• EU Democratic deficit
• EU Citizenship European identity?

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Why this research?

• MLG and European Identity
• a) Normative evaluations (Laffan 1996, Risse
  etc)
• b) Empirical analysis
• MLG and multi-level identity (Hooghe Marks,
  2001)
• Quantitative analysis
• Eurobarometer data (Public Opinion)
• Reveals difficulty of empirical identity research
• A déjà-vu?...

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Social Constructivist IR scholars face the same
problems
Social Constructivists hold the view that the
building blocks of international reality are
ideational as well as material that they express
not only individual but also collective
intentionality and that the meaning and
significance of ideational factors are not
independent of time and place. (Ruggie,
1998)
How do culture and identity matter and how can
their effects be systematically studied by social
scientists? (Goldstein and Keohane, 1993)
The priority is to move quickly from
metaphysical affirmations that culture and
identity matter to empirical demonstrations of
how they matter. (Lapid and Kratochwil,
1996)
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MLG Scholars now experience the same difficulties
What we have observed across Western Europe over
the last two decades is a shift towards multiple
loyalties with the single focus on the nation
supplemented by European and regional
affiliations above and below How is European
identity linked to national, regional and local
identities? How can one begin to explain the
patterns of identities we see?
(Hooghe Marks, 2001, p.53)
There is general agreement that social
identities imply distinctions between in-groups
and out-groups, entail cognitive, evaluative,
motivational and affective components, and are
evoked in a context-dependent manner in
situations when they become socially salient.
But what are the causal mechanisms by which the
EU impacts on collective identities?
(Risse, 2004, p.22)
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Why a Social Identity Approach?

• Social identity Theory (SIT, Tajfel Turner,
  1979)
• Self-Categorisation Theory (SCT, Turner et al,
  1987)
• These theories have a proven Track Record
• Similarity of Concepts
• SIT
• Social Constructivism as Meta Theoretical
  position
• Emphasis on meaning and context
• SCT
• sub-ordinate - superordinate identity
• Multiple, nested identities
• Enables the researcher to put forward testable
  hypotheses

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The Social Identity Approach(Tajfel H. Turner,
J.)

• The minimal group experiments (1970s)
• - To determine the minimal contextual condition
  in which in-group
• favouritism (bias) can occur.

• Findings
• - In the comparative context of in- and out-group
  membership individuals are driven by the desire
  to maximise differentiation rather than by the
  desire to maximise absolute group gains

• Explanation
• - Maximising differentials as a means to enhance
  ones self-esteem
• - The need for Positive Distinctiveness

• Wider implication
• - This challenges theories that offer
  explanations of human behaviour as based on
  rational, material and economic self-interest

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Social Identity Theory of Intergroup Behaviour
(S.I.T.)

• Core SIT Concepts
• Positive Distinctiveness
• Identity Salience
• Interpersonal - Inter-group continuum
• Permeable v. impermeable group boundaries
• Social Mobility - Social Change continuum
  (beliefs)
• Ind. Mobility, Social Creativity Social
  Competition (strategies)

• Other relevant SIT concepts for this research
• Cognitive v. Affective support
• Comparative Identity (Multiple nested
  identities)
• Subordinate and Super-ordinate identity.

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General thrust of SIT

• Social identities
• Context dependent
• Motivational (positive self-esteem)
• Involve comparisons (Positive distinctiveness)
• Dependent on perceptions of social reality
  (context)
• Certain Socio-Structural contexts lead to
  certain Identity
• outcomes (beliefs gt perceived social
  structure gt strategy)

• Reductionist?
• No
• Socially Constructed and therefore contested
  bound
• up with political projects (e.g. Reicher
  Hopkins, 2001)

SIT enables the researcher to deploy specific
principles to analyse the way in which social
identities are being constructed ( contested) in
specific socio-structural contexts
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SIT in this research

• The meaning and function EU Identity

• Perceived R/N/EU social reality (context)
• e.g. Relative economic/social deprivation?
• e.g. Acknowledgement of regional (identity)
  distinctiveness

• Perceived need for social change (motivation)
• e.g. More autonomous regional powers
• e.g. Recognition for cultural distinctiveness

• Role of the EU in preferred strategy (cogn.
  support)
• e.g. EU as a means of achieving structural change

• Willingness to self-define as European (aff.
  support)
• Extent to which this a function of the desire to
  emphasise R/N identity contrast

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Identification with region, nation-state EU

• General hypothesis

In order to understand European Identity amongst
Regional Politicians (a),
one has to also understand the Region -
Nation-state (b) and Nation-State - EU
relationships (c)
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Identification with region, nation-state EU

• Hypothesis 1

Tendency to oppose the traditional national EU
stance inversion
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Identification with region, nation-state EU

• Hypothesis 2

EU identity as means to emphasise
regional-national identity distinctiveness, in
particular in regions that lack substantive
regional recognition (b)
a
b
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Case studies
NB Expected combined effect of H1 H2 EU
identity highest in CW and lowest in FR
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Methods

• Interviews
• - Semi-Structured Interviews
• - 40 participants (10 in each region)
• - Participant profiles
• Qualitative analysis (2 rounds)
• - Thematic Analysis of EU Attitudes
• - Analysis of R/N Identity contrasting and its
  impact on EU identity
• Quantitative analysis (triangulation)
• - Euro-barometer style measure (0-100)
• - Basic averaging

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Qualitative analysis (round-1)

• Expected themes
• Avoiding overlooking unexpected themes
• Mathematically, 8 possible outcomes
• Emergent themes added in abstract framework
• Saturation

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Example 1 (Wales)
Compared to the South-East we have less economic
and social opportunity, substantially less,
and its likely to continue, under any
situation, Its driven I think by the fact
that government is based in the South-East, and
that draws everything else to the South-East.
Some people tend to carry that into an
anti-Englishness, which makes it quite difficult.
I would say there is a Euro-sceptic tradition
in Britain, and I share it. I think the EU is
in far too much of a hurry to develop into a
country called Europe.
I am quite content with the EUs efforts to
reach out to the regions, but again the worries
Ive got over that is that it is in fact that
you suspect that theyre actually attacking the
nation-state. I think Wales should be part of a
British approach to the EU,
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Example 2 (Friesland)
"Yes, there is this idea here in Friesland of
being the weaker and deprived part" and this
is partly justified." "If it involves things
like building roads, infra-structure, projects,
those kinds of things, that's where you see that
er, that these kind of remotely located provinces
tend to get less priority."
"The Dutch corporate sector sometimes accuses the
government of being more catholic than the pope,
in the sense that they impose stricter rules in
terms of for example environmental policy, than
the EU requires. But "I think the Netherlands
have had more benefits than disadvantages of EU
membership
We occasionally use the EU strategically,
not so much out of frustration with The Hague,
but er, well yes, call it opportunity seeking.
More in an additional sense. The logic behind
Friesland's search for alternative channels is
that what gets prioritised in the Netherlands are
issues of the Randstad."
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Example 3 (Limburg)
"I don't see Limburg as a deprived region, er
things are just different here, but I don't think
it's a matter of absolutes, of better or worse,
no. "I don't think that Limburg looses out
in terms of political influence in the Hague, in
comparison with other peripheral provinces."
"I see the EU, certainly now it looks like the
expansion with countries from the Eastern Bloc
seems to go ahead, erm partly as a threat to the
Dutch labour market, I mean the workers here are
as it were being forced out and the average
level of social benefits for workers will go
down."
"I consider myself as a Euro-sceptic." I
don't see why we need the EU. As far as I'm
concerned it's nothing but pumping around money
on a big scale."
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Example 4 (Cornwall)
I think whats wrong is the denial, and for
Gods sake, in a modern democracy, you know,
lets have the truth. Why have people been
prevented from knowing their Cornish history,
why not educate people on the true
constitutional position of Cornwall? It is a
constitutional Duchy.
I see my future, my familys future in Europe.
Cornwall in Europe, yes. But all I see when I
look at the other side of the Tamar is
anti-Europeans.
The EU should pressurise the national government
to recognise Cornish as an ethnic national
minority. That is absolutely essential. We meet
all the criteria, it is fundamentally wrong that
they dont. But I mean at the end of the
day nothing will happen unless the British
government will recognise it.
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Qualitative results
Hypothesis 1
Contrasting views in UK only !
But how about EU Identity?
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Significant Themes (H1)
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Quantitative results
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Identification with region, nation-state and
European Union
Wales
Cornwall
Friesland
Limburg
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Overview quantitative results
European Identity
100
Wales Cornwall Friesland Limburg
50
National Identity
0
50
100
0
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Comparing the Qualitative and quantitative
results
Hypothesis 1
Higher EU Identity in UK regions than in Dutch
regions
NB Difference
67
53
37
41
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Comparing the Qualitative and quantitative
results
Hypothesis 2
Higher EU Identity in regions with
unacknowledged regional identity
37
41
53
67
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Preliminary Findings

• Hypothesis-1
• - Considerable qualitative evidence in UK
  regions
• - Inconclusive in Dutch regions
• Hypothesis-2
• - Quantitative data confirm expected trends
• - However, no clear evidence yet from
  qualitative analysis
• Combined effect of H1 H2
• - Quantitative data confirm expected outcomes
• Second Round of Qualitative Analysis
• - Obtaining clearer evidence for H2
• - Apparent inconsistency in Qnt. Qual. Data
  for WA CW

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2nd Round Qualitative analysis

• EU identity as R-N identity contrast?
• Method
• Findings
• Limburg
• - The Hague as the EUs teachers pet (also
  witnessed in FR)
• - Regional identity as more genuinely European
• Cornwall
• - Cornishness as trans-national European
  identity
• - Regional identity as naturally compatible with
  EU identity
• Wales Friesland
• - Warning against taking regionalism to extremes
• - Receding regionalism, moderated EU attitudes
• Chime well with concept Identity as being or
  becoming

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EU identity as R/N contrast (H2)
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Significant Themes (H2)
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What have we learned?

• Hypothesis-1
• Hypothesis-2
• Risk of overstating the durability of EU identity
• Need to understand the function EU identity
  fulfils
• Domestic Politics matter to EU attitudes
• Social Identity Theory and EU identity debate
  (Interdisciplinary handshake)

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Suggestions for future research

• New Regionalism MLG
• - Regional mobilisation in the EU
• - Devolution and EU attitudes
• European identity research
• - Elite level research (Egeberg, Dierickx
  Beyens)
• gap
• - Public opinion
• (Inglehart, Gabel, MacLaren, Evans,
  Franklin, Ray)
• Importance of studying Meso-Level
• Evidence of Domestic Politics hypothesis
• Compliance with implementation of EU RR

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Some Critical Reflections

• Limited sample group
• The risk of reading too much into the data
• Desire to demonstrate that SIT can help
  abtaining
• generic identity processes leading to an overly
  
• mechanistic approach?
• The need for balance between general specific
• Future research needs to go further in
  identifying
• how these generic processes lead to specific
• outcomes in specific political contexts

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The End
Questions?