Who appreciates the peace-keeping role of international organizations? Historical roots of EU support and Euroscepticism

Abstract

There is little causal evidence about deep-rooted sources of support for shifting power from nation-states to international organizations. Focusing on the European Union, arguably the most ambitious peace project in recent human history, I test whether citizens in a treated area that was historically more negatively exposed to the actions by nation-states exhibit higher EU support. Specifically, I use the case of Alsace- Lorraine in France as a natural experiment to implement a geographical regression discontinuity design at the municipal level within these historically homogeneous regions. The results document persistently higher EU support in three important referenda, as well as a lower share of eurosceptic parties in the treated area. There is no evidence that migration, or differences in socio-economic factors and public good provision are driving the persistent differences. Instead, various survey measures suggest a stronger European Identity as the main mechanism. This stronger identity does not seem to be driven by perceived economic benefits from the EU, and does not come at the expense of a weaker national or regional identity.