“CONTAGIOUS EUROSCEPTICISM” REVISITED The influence of Eurosceptic parties beyond mainstream-niche and mainstream-challenger dichotomies MSc Thesis Public Administration Leiden University Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs (FGGA) Track: International and European Governance Supervisor: Dr. Brendan J. Carroll Second reader: Dr. Dimiter Toshkov Thomas Neumann Rue Stevin 84-86, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
[email protected] Student number: s2275961 Word Count (excl. abstract, footnotes, tables, graphics): 20.213 Word Count (incl. abstract, footnotes, tables, graphics): 22.009 Hand-in date: 10 November 2019 Table of contents 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Reasons for a follow-up study: why revisit “Contagious Euroscepticism”? .................................... 7 3. Literature review ........................................................................................................................... 10 3.1. The two main schools of party-based Euroscepticism .......................................................... 10 3.2. Early/general theories of party competition: spatial models versus salience and issue ownership .......................................................................................................................................... 14 3.3. Theories of asymmetric party competition: the mainstream versus the rest? .................... 15 3.3.1. Niche versus mainstream parties and the evolving