This paper assesses the institutional interactions between the European Semester and the Next Generation EU, with the view to establish whether the member states are ready to implement this unprecedented stimulus package. By explaining the national compliance with the country-specific recommendations, we investigate how these provisions have been changed with regard to digitalization of the public administration and environmental sustainability. These policy areas, indeed, constitute the two pillars of the Next Generation EU. Our unique dataset comprises 112 sub-recommendations addressed to member countries in the period between 2010 and 2019. Using a mixed-method approach, which combines case study analysis with statistical analysis, preliminary results show that member states are rather reluctant in implementing digital and green recommendations. However, when the environment is salient for the general public, governments are more responsive and are more likely to adhere to the European recommendations.

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Citizens often express support for politicians who vote against their parties in parliament. Support for rebels remains a puzzle, and several competing explanations have been proposed: voters could view rebels as offering better representation, they could value the expressive act of rebellion, or view rebellion as a signal of a member of parliament’s (MP) willingness to stand up for constituents. Moreover, voters could view rebellion as MPs’ willingness to defend their own moral convictions. Each explanation has different implications for political representation and the actions of MPs, but until now they have not been studied systematically. We implement two survey experiments on nationally representative samples in the UK, Germany, France and Italy to uncover the logic behind voter support for rebellious politicians. In a survey experiment, we investigate voter attitudes towards rebellion by comparing support for rebel to non-rebel MPs across a variety of conditions. In particular, we assess whether respondents treat rebellious behavior as a cue for whether the MP’s preferences are in line with their own preferences as well as those of the public. We furthermore consider government participation of the MP, whether the bill passed, as well as the gender and the policy area.

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