A new paper, co-authored with Sofia Vasilopoulou (KCL) & Liisa Taalving (Tartu), has been accepted for publication in European Union Politics.
Title: “Free to move, reluctant to share: Unequal opposition to transnational rights under the EU free movement principle”
Abstract: Free movement is simultaneously widely acclaimed and strongly contested in the European Union (EU). To address this apparent contradiction, we unpack EU freedom of movement into its different transnational rights and argue that opposition is unequal across entitlements. Using evidence from a unique survey, we show that citizens mainly contest welfare access. This transnational right implies costs for the host country and taps into perceptions of belonging and deservingness. Due to its association with ideas of national community and solidarity, access to welfare is more contested even among those who, in principle, should be favourable to such entitlements: inclusive national identifiers and EU supporters. Our findings underscore the challenge of creating an EU community that could underpin all transnational rights implied by free movement.
Keyword: EU attitudes, freedom of movement, public opinion, welfare, identity