IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jcmkts/v63y2025i6p1805-1821.html

Disinformation and Incremental Change in European Union Election Observation: A Field Theoretical Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Leonie Holthaus

Abstract

This article addresses the puzzle of why there is at best incremental change in European Union (EU) democracy promotion and theorises an instance of such change by examining responses to (online) disinformation in EU electoral observation. It develops a field theoretical approach for the explanation of incremental change, as evident in social media monitoring, in EU election observation. Field theory furthers consideration of the position of actors, social interactions and characteristics of the particular field. On the basis of this theory, conceptualisation of a heterogenous democracy assistance and electoral observation field and an in‐depth study of EU election observation in Tunisia (2019), I argue the EU has responded to disinformation through the imitation of practices and epistemic negotiation. The responses and the incremental changes in EU election observation that evolved reflect the central but contested position of the EU in the field.

Suggested Citation

  • Leonie Holthaus, 2025. "Disinformation and Incremental Change in European Union Election Observation: A Field Theoretical Perspective," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(6), pages 1805-1821, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:63:y:2025:i:6:p:1805-1821
    DOI: 10.1111/jcms.13713
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.13713
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/jcms.13713?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pouliot, Vincent, 2020. "Historical Institutionalism Meets Practice Theory: Renewing the Selection Process of the United Nations Secretary-General," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 74(4), pages 742-772, October.
    2. Bush, Sarah Sunn & Prather, Lauren, 2018. "Who's There? Election Observer Identity and the Local Credibility of Elections," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 72(3), pages 659-692, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Daniel L. Nielson & Susan D. Hyde & Judith Kelley, 2019. "The elusive sources of legitimacy beliefs: Civil society views of international election observers," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 685-715, December.
    2. Sunn Bush, Sarah & Cottiero, Christina & Prather, Lauren, 2024. "Zombies Ahead: Explaining the Rise of Low-Quality Election Monitoring," Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Working Paper Series qt2fc2d3pr, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, University of California.
    3. Salih I. Bora, 2023. "‘A Sovereign Europe’? Strategic Use of Discourse at the Service of French Economic Interests in EU Politics (2017–2022)," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(5), pages 1281-1297, September.
    4. repec:osf:osfxxx:gyz3h_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Kristin Haugevik & Ole Jacob Sending, 2020. "The Nordic Balance Revisited: Differentiation and the Foreign Policy Repertoires of the Nordic States," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(4), pages 110-119.
    6. Hannah Smidt, 2020. "Mitigating election violence locally: UN peacekeepers’ election-education campaigns in Côte d’Ivoire," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 57(1), pages 199-216, January.
    7. Kristin Haugevik & Ole Jacob Sending, 2020. "The Nordic Balance Revisited: Differentiation and the Foreign Policy Repertoires of the Nordic States," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(4), pages 441-450.
    8. Cottiero, Christina & Haggard, Stephan, 2022. "Stabilizing Authoritarian Rule: The Role of International Organizations," Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Working Paper Series qt5mk6g1z0, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, University of California.
    9. Nomikos, William George, 2021. "Peacekeeping and the Enforcement of Intergroup Cooperation: Evidence from Mali," SocArXiv 36j8q, Center for Open Science.
    10. Morrison, Kelly & Savun, Burcu & Donno, Daniela & Davutoglu, Perisa, 2023. "Competing Verdicts: Multiple Election Monitors and Post-Election Contention," Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Working Paper Series qt3kc4f57j, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, University of California.
    11. Cottiero, Christina & Haggard, Stephan, 2021. "The Rise of Authoritarian Regional International Organizations," Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Working Paper Series qt1360q3g4, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, University of California.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:63:y:2025:i:6:p:1805-1821. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0021-9886 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.