EUR3416 Democracy, Euroscepticism, and Populism in the EU

"A spectre is haunting Europe," wrote Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels in their famous Communist Manifesto. And while the spectre is no longer communism, per se, it brings with it a similarly dangerous potential for re-igniting authoritarianism on the continent and beyond. That spectre is the decline in satisfaction with democracy, along with a waning desire to uphold the liberal international order. Recent public opinion surveys consistently show a deterioration of support for democracy in Europe, especially among younger age groups. The rise of populist, radical right parties, the proliferation of online conspiracy theories, and the spread of disinformation by both external and internal actors all pose a threat to good governance in the EU and weaken trust in governmental actors. Democracy, human rights, and rule of law are considered fundamental values that lie at the heart of the European project. The fact that some Europeans appear poised to reject these values paves the way for demagogues and authoritarians that seek power unconstrained by democratic rules and norms. Unpacking these public opinion trends, understanding how the EU has tried to tackle these grave developments, and generating solutions to these problems lies at the heart of this course.

This course examines how citizens perceive and engage with democracy, the role of political parties and EU institutions in shaping democratic norms, and the impact of external forces on democratic erosion in Europe. To understand the internal challenges facing EU members states, we analyze trends in Euroscepticism, the increasing support for populist parties, and democratic backsliding. Furthermore, we examine how conspiracy theories proliferate on social media and interrogate the sources of this misinformation and disinformation (e.g., Russia, China, the US).