Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/215063 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2020
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 8061
Publisher: 
Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich
Abstract: 
A major theory from social psychology claims that external threats can strengthen group identities and cooperation. This paper exploits the Russian invasion in Ukraine 2014 as a sudden increase in the perceived military threat for eastern European Union member states, in particular for the Baltic countries bordering Russia directly. Comparing low versus high-threat member states in a difference-in-differences design, I find a sizeable positive effect on EU identity. It is associated with higher trust in EU institutions and support for common EU policies. Different perceptions of the invasion cause a polarization of preferences between the majority and ethnic Russian minorities.
Subjects: 
external threats
group identity
nation-building
trust
fiscal federalism
European Union
EU identity
Russia
Ukraine
Baltic
JEL: 
D70
F50
H70
N44
Z10
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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