The demand for European integration : an identity economics approach

Abstract

This study sets out to assess demand for European integration and the role that identity may play as a determinant. The research examines what constitutes the demand for European integration according to economic literature. Apart from the typically assessed socio-demographic and economic factors, the literature points towards the importance of identity in explaining the demand for European Union integration. More specifically, this study delves into the Maltese context and analyses the elements of the Maltese identity and their possible contribution to explain the demand for the European Union. Secondary data on demand for the European Union, identity and other explanatory variables were available for use in this dissertation. A series of correlation and regression analysis is carried out to statistically determine the relevance of Maltese identity. The overall results indicate that Maltese identity does indeed explain demand for the European Union. Identity is found to be a multi-facet variable that can have both a positive and negative relationship with demand for the European Union.