Soft and Hard Euroskepticism: Two Forms of the Same Concept?
No.2(2005)
Abstract
Keywords:
hard and soft euroskepticism; European integration; party attitudes to the EU
In recent years, the issue of political parties’ attitudes to European integration has become especially important in political science research. This article focuses on skeptical party attitudes to the European Union and critically evaluates the conceptualization of euroskepticism. First, it discusses the most applicable typologies, especially Taggart and Szczerbiak’s distinction between „hard“ and „soft“ forms of euroskepticism. Second, it points out the insufficient and vague definition of the concept of „soft“ euroskepticism.
hard and soft euroskepticism; European integration; party attitudes to the EU