Democratically deficient, yet responsive? How politicization facilitates responsiveness in the European Union

This article examines the thermostatic responsiveness of EU public policy. It inquires into the conditions under which EU policy decisions are responsive to wavering public demands for policy change and how European citizens in turn respond to policy change. The main argument holds that the <i>politicization</i> of EU policy processes facilitates both public and policy responsiveness. My expectations are tested based on a novel database containing information on 15 EU policy issues (2010–2016). The analyses draw from panel data based on Eurobarometer polls and a large-scale content analysis of 5887 media statements in eight European news outlets. The results demonstrate that under politicized conditions, the adoption of EU policy decisions is preceded by increased public support and followed by decreased public support for EU policy change. The facilitating role of politicization is primarily triggered by the mobilization of civil society groups, while media salience and polarization are less consequential for responsiveness.

本文探讨了欧盟（European Union）公共政策的恒温响应性（thermostatic responsiveness）。本文旨在探究欧盟政策决策响应于公众摇摆不定的政策变革诉求的前提条件，以及欧洲公民反过来如何对政策变革作出响应。本文核心论点认为，欧盟政策进程的政治化（politicization）可同时推动公众响应与政策响应。本研究基于涵盖2010至2016年间15项欧盟政策议题信息的新型数据库，对研究假设进行了实证检验。本研究的分析数据来源于两部分：一是基于欧洲晴雨表（Eurobarometer）民意调查构建的面板数据，二是对8家欧洲新闻媒体发布的5887条媒体言论开展的大规模内容分析。研究结果表明，在政治化情境下，欧盟政策决策的出台往往先伴随公众对欧盟政策变革支持率的上升，随后则会出现该支持率的下降。政治化的助力作用主要源于公民社会团体的动员，而媒体显著性与极化程度对政策响应的影响则相对较弱。