Abstract
What is the relationship between crisis management strategies and democratic
attitudes in a supranational economic union? We analyse the process of policy convergence within the European Union (EU) in the handling of the economic crisis
induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, comparing countries with different condition-
ality experiences during the 2010 sovereign debt crisis. Unlike in 2010, the strategy
for managing the 2020 crisis reflected institutional efforts towards greater fiscal solidarity at the supranational level and policy responsiveness at the national level. We argue that this policy shift has improved attitudes towards democracy. Using quasi-experimental evidence from an unexpected event analysis during Eurobarometer 93.1 fieldwork, we show that the announcement of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) in 2020 increased satisfaction with democracy (SWD), particularly among individuals who experienced strict conditionality during the 2010 crisis.
attitudes in a supranational economic union? We analyse the process of policy convergence within the European Union (EU) in the handling of the economic crisis
induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, comparing countries with different condition-
ality experiences during the 2010 sovereign debt crisis. Unlike in 2010, the strategy
for managing the 2020 crisis reflected institutional efforts towards greater fiscal solidarity at the supranational level and policy responsiveness at the national level. We argue that this policy shift has improved attitudes towards democracy. Using quasi-experimental evidence from an unexpected event analysis during Eurobarometer 93.1 fieldwork, we show that the announcement of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) in 2020 increased satisfaction with democracy (SWD), particularly among individuals who experienced strict conditionality during the 2010 crisis.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | EUROPEAN UNION POLITICS |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 2025 |
