Study title

How and to what extent does the empirical practice of representative claims-making in which unelected representatives claim to represent an international constituency affect the legitimacy of liberal democracy in Europe? This is the central research question of 'Unelected Representatives: The Impact on Liberal Democracy in Europe' (UNREP). UNREP focuses on the practice of representative claims-making. That is, public statements in which someone claims to represent a certain constituency with a policy demand in front of an audience. Both elected and unelected individuals make such claims. Specifically, UNREP focuses on claims with an international reach, made by unelected representatives, stating demands on the globalization related issues of migration and European integration. It studies how citizens receive these claims and what exposure to such claims means for citizens' opinion about liberal democracy. UNREP picks up on state of the art political theory, to conduct rigorous empirical analysis on the nature and impact of representative claims. UNREP develops new insight through a carefully constructed mixed-methods research design. This includes comprehensive content analysis, surveys including conjoint analysis and experiments, and in-depth semi-structured interviews. Journalists are key stakeholders in this phenomenon. They face a choice whether to feature representative claims in the news, and how, on a daily basis. UNREP contains a comprehensive innovative plan for journalist involvement in the project that will bolster both the research itself as well as the popular dissemination of its findings. The results promise to improve our understanding of modern day political representation and provide us with a key piece of the puzzle about the current state of liberal democracy in Europe. This is vital information in the face of popular mistrust and challenges from right-wing populists, authoritarian leaders and left-wing social movements.