Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Preface -- Contributors -- Abbreviations -- 1. The Legitimacy of the European Union after Enlargement -- 1.1. Introduction -- 1.2. The legitimacy of the European Union: A Union of, by, and for the people? -- 1.3. Political representation in the European Union -- 1.4. The legitimacy of the European Union: The support of the people -- 1.5. The European Election Studies project -- Part I: Political Representation in the European Union -- 2. The European Party System after Enlargement -- 2.1. Introduction -- 2.2. The development of the EU party system -- 2.3. The party systems of Central and Eastern Europe: Do they fit in? -- 2.4. Dimensions of party competition in the European Union before enlargement -- 2.5. Dimensions of party competition in the European Union after enlargement -- 2.6. The competitiveness and cohesion of the European party system after enlargement -- 2.7. Conclusion -- Appendix -- 3. Light at the End of the Tunnel: Towards a European Public Sphere? -- 3.1. Introduction -- 3.2. A European public sphere? -- 3.3. European elections: The emergence of Europeanized national public spheres? -- 3.4. Data: The 2004 European election media study -- 3.5. Results -- 3.6. Conclusions -- 4. Towards a European Electorate: One Electorate or Many? -- 4.1. Introduction -- 4.2. Theoretical expectations -- 4.3. Differences in value orientations -- 4.4. Determinants of party choice -- 4.5. Conclusion: One electorate or many? -- Appendix -- 5. Enlargement and the 'Normal' European Parliament -- 5.1. Introduction -- 5.2. The effects of enlargement on politics in the European Parliament -- 5.3. Partisan and national divisions in the European Parliament -- 5.4. Ideological structures -- 5.5. Conclusion -- Appendix -- Part II: Political Support for the European Union.

6. The Level of Decision Making: The Preferences of the Citizens after Enlargement -- 6.1. Introduction -- 6.2. The debate on the level of decision making in the EU -- 6.3. Citizens' level of governance preferences over time, policy sector, and space -- 6.4. Hypotheses on citizens' preferences for level of government -- 6.5. The level of decision making: Explaining the preferences of citizens -- 6.6. Conclusion -- 7. Policy Performance and Support for European Integration -- 7.1. Introduction -- 7.2. Previous research -- 7.3. Public perceptions of benefits -- 7.4. Explaining diversity and change -- 7.5. Analysis -- 7.6. Conclusions -- Appendix 1 -- Appendix 2 -- 8. Trust in Political Institutions -- 8.1. Introduction -- 8.2. Trust in institutions: Concept, hypotheses, and prior research findings -- 8.3. The development of trust in national and European political institutions -- 8.4. Trust in national and European political institutions after Eastern enlargement -- 8.5. Discussion -- 9. European Citizenship and Identity after Enlargement -- 9.1. Introduction -- 9.2. European identity and European citizenship -- 9.3. Conceptualizations, operationalizations, and methods -- 9.4. An empirical analysis of citizenship and trust -- 9.5. In conclusion -- 10. Legitimacy and Electoral Abstention in European Parliament Elections -- 10.1. Introduction -- 10.2. Previous research -- 10.3. Abstentions and orientations to the EU: A first look -- 10.4. EU legitimacy beliefs amidst other factors -- 10.5. If not legitimacy beliefs, what then causes low turnout in EP elections? -- 10.6. Conclusions and reflections -- 11. In Conclusion: The Legitimacy of the European Union after Enlargement -- 11.1. Introduction -- 11.2. The European Union and representative democracy -- 11.3. The legitimacy of the European Union: The support of the people.

11.4. The effects of enlargement on the legitimacy of the European Union -- 11.5. The quality of political representation in the European Union -- 11.6. Party government as a cure for the democratic deficit of the EU? -- 11.7. In conclusion -- References -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Z.