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Recent analyses have demonstrated that personality affects political behavior. According to the mediation hypothesis, the effect of personality on political participation is mediated by classical predictors, such as political interest, internal efficacy, political discussion, or the sense that voting is a civic duty. This paper outlines various paths that link personality traits to two participatory activities: voter turnout in European Parliament elections and participation in protest actions. The hypotheses are tested with data from a large, nationally representative, face-to-face survey of the Spanish population conducted before and after the 2009 European Parliament elections using log-linear path models that are well suited to study indirect relationships. The results clearly confirm that the effects of personality traits on voter turnout and protest participation are sizeable but indirect. They are mediated by attitudinal predictors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article investigates why, despite similar background conditions, Greece has been the site of frequent, highly visible, fringe, anti-system politics and street riots, while similar phenomena are rare in Spain. Although the article's focal point is the eruption of the December 2008 riots in Athens, it sheds light on the two countries' diverse social reactions to the sovereign debt crisis. Deploying the tool of media framing, it argues that historical legacies and political cultures matter. In the Greek case, the transition to democracy shaped a political ‘culture of sympathy’ towards acts of resistance to the state, a culture that has been institutionalised since the mid-1970s. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper focuses on analysis of public opinion towards European integration in Greece, Portugal and Spain, countries known for their positive attitudes toward integration. In particular, the article analyses how public attitudes towards Europe have been formed in these countries. Secondly, it examines the determining factors of citizens' positive attitudes toward integration and shows the types of variables that are essential to understanding the differences between Greeks, Spaniards and the Portuguese. It also examines traditional euro-optimism in these southern countries. The findings show the relevance of identity and the various impacts of party platforms and ideology in attitudes of support for European integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the conclusions of Inglehart's work is that postmaterialism leads to higher rates of political action. Particularly, postmaterialists are opposed to the established social order and support citizen input in government decisions in a horizontal way. These attitudes would be associated with unconventional political participation. The objective of this article is to examine to what extent this holds true in the Spanish case in the period 1980-2000. The authors' analysis reveals that in Spain there has not been a systematic rejection of electoral participation as a result of the rise of postmaterialism. Nevertheless, postmaterialists are more likely to engage in unconventional participation and participation in new associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Are cities significant fulcrums through which new relations between historic substate nationalism and contemporary European governance are being forged? Using case studies of Basque cities (Spain) and Sarajevo (Bosnia), the study explores the link between Europeanization and identity-based substate nationalism, with special focus on how city interests affect that relationship. In Basque Country, city actors have taken advantage of the new structures and opportunities in Europe to strengthen and to modernize sub-state nationalism. In Sarajevo, European governance is managing the city and substate region in order to overcome war-hardened group identities. Whether active agents or regulated entities, cities are key axes in redefining relations between substate nationalism and the new Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents news briefs related to governmental affairs in Europe, as of 2002. Highlights of the European Council's summit in Barcelona, Spain; Implementation of provisions on European citizenship; Relationship with countries applying for European Union membership.