Abstract
Model European Union (MEU) is a simulation of European politics that aims to familiarise young Europeans with the decision-making process of the European Union (EU). Participants simulate the cooperation between the Commission, the European Parliament (EP) and the Council of the EU in the ordinary legislative procedure. About 190 people annually participate at MEU Strasbourg, which takes place on the premises of the EP. This article uses quasi-experimental panel data from surveys with participants of MEU 2012 to test the impact of the simulation conference. While most empirical research on the effects of political simulations addresses the educational effectiveness of classroom simulations, this article tries to answer a research question with a new focus on political attitudes: Do EU simulations influence European identity and political support of the EU?
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Notes
This article is based on Rünz (2014).
In order to avoid misunderstanding, it should be clarified that researching these questions is not tantamount to stating that increases in support of the EU and European identity are per se desirable. Going beyond teaching in the analysis of simulation effects means to research questions that are not necessarily part of the goal assessment of the organisers of the simulation.
A detailed account of how participation in EU simulations might impact the various aspects of the concept of European citizenship, such as, for example, knowledge about the EU, European identity, political efficacy, or support of the EU can be found in Rünz (2014).
The author is a member of BETA but was not directly involved in the organisation of MEU 2012.
The other proposal, which followed the consultation procedure, was the ‘Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing a European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union’.
More detailed explanations on the methodological design and the operationalisation can be found in Rünz (2014).
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Supplementary information has been added to this article in the form of an addendum, available at (http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/eps.2015.51)
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rünz, p. beyond teaching: measuring the effect of eu simulations on european identity and support of the eu. Eur Polit Sci 14, 266–278 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1057/eps.2015.23
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/eps.2015.23