Clarity of Responsibility beyond the Pocketbook: How Political Institutions Condition EU Issue Voting

One of the most influential findings of the voting behavior literature of the past two decades was the realization that the clarity of the domestic institutional context influences the relationship between economic perceptions and vote intention. This article extends this so-called “clarity of responsibility” argument beyond economics to another policy field – European integration. To what extent do national political institutions influence levels of EU issue voting? Using data from the 2004 European Election Study, we provide evidence that clarity of responsibility affects the strength of EU issue voting. Specifically, EU issue voting is accentuated when the domestic institutional environment provides clear lines of responsibility. Paper prepared for the 3 Pan-European Conference on EU Politics, Riga, 25-27 September 2008.