The Personalization of Politics in the European Union

The book explores the phenomenon of personalization in European Union politics, examining how it affects institutions, media, politics, and citizens. It argues that institutional personalization is necessary for media to report more about individual politicians, but that media personalization varies across countries and over time. It also shows that Members of the European Parliament increasingly engage in personalized legislative and communicative behavior. However, these developments have limited effects on citizen attitudes and political awareness. Institutions provide more effective cues for media to inform citizens and politicians to acquire information about European Union politics, implications for the future of personalized politics in the European Union.

Format: Hardback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 25 August 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press

The phenomenon of personalization in politics, where politicians increasingly become the central focus of political processes, is a notable trend in modern democracies. While scholars have extensively studied this phenomenon in national politics, there is limited knowledge about its scope, causes, and consequences in European Union politics. However, recent institutional and political developments suggest that personalization is gaining traction in EU politics.

This book aims to shed light on this phenomenon by taking a comprehensive approach to understanding four key dimensions of personalization: institutions, media, politics, and citizens. It employs an innovative longitudinal and cross-country comparative research design and utilizes various methods to explore these dimensions.

The book argues that institutional personalization is a necessary but not sufficient precondition for media to increasingly report about individual politicians. It demonstrates that media personalization varies across countries and over time, while Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) increasingly engage in personalized legislative and communicative behavior. These developments are contingent upon domestic media and electoral systems and have limited effects on citizen attitudes and political awareness.

The book concludes that as additional political actors assume formal individual responsibilities, European Union politics becomes increasingly complex to disentangle. Institutions provide more effective cues than individual politicians for media to inform citizens about EU politics and for citizens to acquire information that may help them understand and evaluate EU politics. These findings have significant implications for the future of personalized politics in the European Union.

In conclusion, this book contributes to our understanding of personalization in politics by exploring its dimensions in the European Union context. It highlights the need for a comprehensive approach that considers institutions, media, politics, and citizens to fully comprehend the trends and implications of personalization in EU politics. The findings have important implications for scholars, policymakers, and citizens interested in the future of democratic governance and the role of political actors in shaping public opinion and policy outcomes.

Weight: 664g
Dimension: 165 x 241 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198798712