IS THE GRASS ALWAYS GREENER? THE POLISH FARMERS’ FIGHT BETWEEN POLITICS AND SUSTAINABILITY IN CAP A Case Study Linking European Partisanship and CAP Eco-scheme Subsidy Uptake

Abstract

This thesis investigates whether political partisanship toward the European Union influences Polish farmers’ uptake of CAP eco-schemes and green payments. Is it due to the distrust after 2014-2020 green payments? While the CAP has increasingly emphasized sustainability through eco-schemes, adoption rates remain low and uneven across Member States. Focusing on Poland, a key agricultural actor in the EU, this study uses a quantitative, region-level case study across 16 voivodeships from 2014 to 2024. It also employs path dependence theory, understanding how and why CAP reforms may take years to see change; in the case of this thesis, how long does it take for policymakers to account the negative feedback from farmers. This thesis also uses GAL-TAN cleavage theory and rent-seeking theory, to evaluate which best explains low environmental subsidy uptake. To complete this analysis, it employs OLS regressions and correlation analysis to test the relationship between EU parliamentary voting patterns (2014, 2019, 2024) and subsidy uptake, controlling for structural variables such as farm size and education. Results show that farm size is the strongest predictor of eco-scheme participation, suggesting that structural capacity outweighs partisanship in determining engagement. However, 2024 data shows a moderate correlation between pro-European partisanship and eco-scheme uptake, indicating that political belief may gain a larger role in dictating CAP subsidy engagement. These findings uncover a new perspective, EU partisanship, viewing what factors play into CAP involvement, challenging the assumptions about the politicization of sustainability.