How convincing is the argument that the twin process of European integration and globalisation has contributed to a large extent to the rise of regionalist parties?

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[...] How convincing is the argument that the twin process of European integration and globalisation has contributed to a large extent to the rise of regionalist parties? ‘The central paradox of globalization is that rather than creating one big economy or one big polity . it also divides, fragments and polarizes.' Philip Cerny ‘The new Regionalism in Western Europe' Index Index 3 Introduction 4 I. Definition of regionalist parties 5 II. Europe and globalisation benefits to regionalist parties European Union and economic regional development The regress of Nation State European elections: a springboard for the regionalist parties Positive attitudes of regionalist party voters towards European Union Cultural arguments Social factors 9 III. [...]

[...] [WWW] http://www.euobserver.com/index.phtml?aid=6033 (14/12/2002) Laitin, David D The Cultural Identities of a European State. Politics and Society.pp. 277-302. Bartolini, S. (1998). Political Representation in Loosely Bounded Territories: Between Europe and the National-state. Paper presented at the Conference on Multi-Level Party Systems: Europeanisation and the Reshaping of National Political Representation, European University Institute. Hobsbaun, E.J. (1992). Nations and Nationalism since 1780. Programme, Myth, Reality. Cambridge De Winter, L. (1998). [...]

[...] New York: Palgrave Publishers. • Harvie, C. (1993). The Rise of regional Europe. London: Routledge • Keating, M. (1998). The new regionalism in Western Europe. Cheltenham: Edward Edgar Publishing. • Laitin, David D. (1997). The Cultural Identities of a European State. Politics and Society, 25: 277-302 • Lynch, P. (1996). [...]

[...] Regionalist parties in Western Europe. London: Routledge, pp. 19-50. De Grauwe, P. (2000). Monetary Policy in Euroland. Paper prepared for delivery of the Vlaams Wetenschappelijk Economisch Congres. Fearon, J. & Van Houten, P. (1998). The politicization of Cultural and Economic Differences. A return to the Theory of Regional Autonomy Movements. Paper prepared for delivery at the 1998 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Boston Milward, A. [...]

[...] Thus, generally regionalist parties also get a more proportional share of offices in the European Parliament in comparison with their national legislature, and this seems also to hold for their representation in the Committee of the Regions Positive attitudes of regionalist party voters towards European Union Bartolini formulates the hypothesis that electorates of traditional parties are more divided than regionalist parties on the European Union-integration dimension as on other cleavages, like the left-right?[22] If this is the case, regionalist parties should profit from the decline left-right cleavage and politicisation of the European Union cleavage. The more positive attitudes of regionalist party electorates and parties can be due to their socio-demographic background characteristics but also to the catholic origin of most regionalist parties.[23] Catholicism internationalism has always favoured more pro European Union attitudes than protestant nationalism. In the framework of a globalised outlook, affected buy several economic or social issues, mainstream parties have lost credibility. [...]