Programme: VEGA 2/0036/26
Duration: 1. 1. 2026 – 31. 12. 2028
Principal Investigator: Martino Comelli
Researchers: Miloslav Bahna, Bence Kováts, Jozef Zagrapan

This research project examines how voters in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Portugal respond to different approaches to financial policy and banking sector regulation. Through nationally representative surveys, we investigate whether nationalist versus technocratic framing of financial policies influences public support for measures ranging from welcoming foreign banks to asserting national economic sovereignty - for example, some may emphasize protecting national interests while others European integration. The project employs conjoint experimental methodology to understand how citizens evaluate multidimensional policy proposals, including how they respond to reactions from opposition parties and EU institutions. By comparing Eurozone members (Slovakia and Portugal) with a non-Eurozone country (Hungary, Czech Republic), the study contributes to understanding the politicization of financial governance in Europe's semi-peripheries. This work is funded by the Scientific Grant Agency (VEGA) and conducted in collaboration with researchers from the University of Exeter and European University Institute.