Consonant Federalism?: The Role of Federalism on Exclusive Identity and Euroskepticism

This paper examines the effects of subnational identities on Euroskepticism, or opposition to the EU. It posits that citizens in federations are accustomed to balancing a subnational identity and a national identity and will be likely to support EU integration. This hypothesis is tested by gauging individual-level feelings on integration based on residence in a federal, quasi-federal, or unitary state. The results show that while federalism is positively correlated with multiple identities, individuals with a single identity who live in a federation are more Euroskeptic than their counterparts in unitary states. These findings suggest that federalism can either be a response to parochialism or that people in federations may resent the EU for allowing regions with secessionist movements autonomy from the central state