Overview

Why have referendums on European integration proliferated since the 1970s? How are referendums accommodated within member states' constitutional orders and with what impact on the European integration process? What is the likely institutional impact of referendums on the future of the European integration process? Drawing on an interdisciplinary approach, these are just some of the fundamental questions addressed in this book. The central thesis is that the EU is faced with a 'direct democratic dilemma', which is compounded by the EU's rigid constitutional structure and a growing politicisation of the referendum device on matters related to European integration. Referendums and the European Union discusses how this dilemma has emerged to impact on the course of integration and how it can be addressed.

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9781107034044

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It is rare to read a book that is entertaining as well as enlightening. Fernando Mendez, Mario Mendez and Vasiliki Triga's monograph Referendums and the European Union: A Comparative Inquiry is such a book. Thorough, insightful and with details that go far beyond the topic of referendums on European integration, this book is a good introduction to the timely issue of referendums in general. In addition to an historical overview of the institution, the authors provide relevant contextual information and give the reader an insight into the political developments that led to the holding of referendums in the EU countries ... the authors are able to make constitutional theory interesting through historical examples that add context to the otherwise rather dreary study of articles and paragraphs. Matt Qvortrup, Political Studies Review The authors offer an insightful analysis of EU referendums ... [they] make clear their intentions to bridge the research conducted on referendums by political scientists with the work of legal scholars ... the result should be interesting to anyone interested in questions about how democracy currently functions and may evolve in a system as complex as the European Union. N. Clark, EUSA Review

It is rare to read a book that is entertaining as well as enlightening. Fernando Mendez, Mario Mendez and Vasiliki Triga's monograph Referendums and the European Union: A Comparative Inquiry is such a book. Thorough, insightful and with details that go far beyond the topic of referendums on European integration, this book is a good introduction to the timely issue of referendums in general. In addition to an historical overview of the institution, the authors provide relevant contextual information and give the reader an insight into the political developments that led to the holding of referendums in the EU countries ... the authors are able to make constitutional theory interesting through historical examples that add context to the otherwise rather dreary study of articles and paragraphs.' Matt Qvortrup, Political Studies Review 'The authors offer an insightful analysis of EU referendums ... [they] make clear their intentions to bridge the research conducted on referendums by political scientists with the work of legal scholars ... the result should be interesting to anyone interested in questions about how democracy currently functions and may evolve in a system as complex as the European Union.' N. Clark, EUSA Review

It is rare to read a book that is entertaining as well as enlightening. Fernando Mendez, Mario Mendez and Vasiliki Triga's monograph Referendums and the European Union: A Comparative Inquiry is such a book. Thorough, insightful and with details that go far beyond the topic of referendums on European integration, this book is a good introduction to the timely issue of referendums in general. In addition to an historical overview of the institution, the authors provide relevant contextual information and give the reader an insight into the political developments that led to the holding of referendums in the EU countries ... the authors are able to make constitutional theory interesting through historical examples that add context to the otherwise rather dreary study of articles and paragraphs. Matt Qvortrup, Political Studies Review The authors offer an insightful analysis of EU referendums ... [they] make clear their intentions to bridge the research conducted on referendums by political scientists with the work of legal scholars ... the result should be interesting to anyone interested in questions about how democracy currently functions and may evolve in a system as complex as the European Union. N. Clark, EUSA Review

Author Information

Fernando Mendez is a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Research on Direct Democracy at the University of Zurich. Mario Mendez is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Law at Queen Mary, University of London. Vasiliki Triga is a Lecturer in the Department of Communication and Internet Studies at the Cyprus University of Technology.

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