Overview

"The discussion about a constitution for the European Union and its rejection by referendum in two of the EU founding member states has once again spurred public and scholarly interest in the democratic quality and potential of the European Union. Debating the Democratic Legitimacy of the European Union brings together distinguished thinkers from law, political science, sociology, and political philosophy to explore the potential for democratically legitimate governance in the European Union. Drawing on different theoretical perspectives and strands from democratic theory, this volume is the first of its kind to overcome the present state of fragmentation in the debate about the conditions and possible remedies for what is often called the ""democratic deficit"" of the European Union. Among the pressing questions addressed by the contributors are: What future is there for parliamentary democracy in the European Union? Can we observe the evolution of a European public sphere and civil society? Can participatory democracy or deliberative democracy pave the road for a democratically legitimate European Union? Conversations about democracy have engaged the public in a new way since the beginning of the Iraq war, and this volume is the best resource for students and readers who are interested in democracy in the European Union. Contributions by: Rudy B. Andeweg, Katrin Auel, Arthur Benz, Lars-Erik Cederman, Damian Chalmers, Deirdre Curtin, Donatella Della Porta, Klaus Eder, Erik O. Eriksen, Ulrich Haltern, Hubert Heinelt, Doug Imig, Christian Joerges, Beate Kohler-Koch, Christopher Lord, Paul Magnette, Andreas Maurer, Jeremy Richardson, Berthold Rittberger, Rainer Schmalz-Bruns, Michael Th. Greven, Hans-Jörg Trenz, and Armin von Bogdandy"

Full Product Details

Author:   Beate Kohler-Koch ,  Berthold Rittberger
Publisher:   Rowman & Littlefield
Imprint:   Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Dimensions:   Width: 15.40cm , Height: 2.90cm , Length: 23.10cm
Weight:   0.576kg
ISBN:  

9780742554924

ISBN 10:   0742554929
Pages:   402
Publication Date:   27 April 2007
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Charting Crowded Territory: Debating the Democratic Legitimacy of the European Union Part I: Democracy: The Constitutional Principle of the EU Chapter 2: A Disputed Idea Becomes Law: Remarks on European Democracy as a Legal Principle Part II: What Future for Parliamentary Democracy in the EU? Chapter 3: Expanding National Parliamentary Control: Does it Enhance European Democracy? Chapter 4: The European Parliament between Policy-Making and Control Chapter 5: Constructing Parliamentary Democracy in the European Union: How Did It Happen? Chapter 6: Parliamentary Representation in a Decentred Polity Part III: The Public Sphere and Civil Society: Pre-Requisites for Democratically Legitimate Rule-Making Chapter 7: Pre-Requisites of Transnational Democracy and Mechanisms of Sustaining it: The Case of the European Union Chapter 8: The Europeanization of Protest: A Typology and Empirical Evidence Part IV: Democracy and Political Participation Chapter 9: Participatory Governance and European Democracy Chapter 10: Some Considerations on Participation in Participatory Governance Chapter 11: The Organization of Interests and Democracy in the European Union Part V: Deliberative Democracy Chapter 12: The Euro-Polity in Perspective: Some Normative Lessons from Deliberative Democracy Chapter 13: Reconceptualizing the Supremacy of European Law: A Plea for a Supranational Conflict of Laws

Reviews

This book provides a much needed, very thorough overview of an extremely complex field of research on European integration, made even more complex by the intricate interdependence between normative political theory and empirical research. It stands out in the 'legitimacy-deficit literature' as being both remarkably even-handed and academically sophisticated. In addition to including thorough reviews of the current state of the discipline, the collection provides constructive indications of how to reduce the present democratic deficits, by fine tuning the workings of national parliaments and the European Parliament, or by correcting some of the weaknesses of 'network governance.'--Andreas Follesdal

A stellar book on the major debates on democratic legitimacy in the European Union. It is a 'must-read' for all those concerned about the democratic deficit in the EU and who are asking: Does it exist? How does it manifest itself? Can it be fixed? The contributors constitute an impressive lineup of scholars, including most of the great and the good on democracy in the EU.--Vivien Schmidt

Author Information

Beate Kohler-Koch holds the Jean Monnet Chair for European Integration at the University of Mannheim. Berthold Rittberger is chair of political science and contemporary history at the University of Mannheim.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions