Governing beyond the nation state in multi-level governance systems is a key concern in Europe, and this book goes beyond the usual approach of merely describing characteristics and features in its in-depth exploration of EU governance. The contributors illustrate that multi-level governance is a phenomenon perceived differently all over Europe. They observe distinct variations not only in the real-life impact of EU governance but also in different national research approaches, and showcase systematic empirical analyses of pertinent research projects across Europe. Recent advances in EU governance research form the basis for suggestions on how future research agendas could and should be directed. This book will prove a fascinating read for academics, researchers and students with an interest in comparative governance, EU studies, and the social sciences.

Civil society has become one of the key parts of the reference framework for governance, seeking to replace traditional public action in which representative democracy is combined with bureaucratic implementation. The success of the civil society myth contrasts with and consequently manifests itself in the problems of political and social legitimacy and representation. This book assesses the shift in the meaning and application of civil society, from citizen protests to its incorporation into public action. It examines the diversity of interpretations and uses of civil society in different political contexts and seeks to understand the reasons for its surfacing and its multiple forms in political discourse. The authors critically analyze and compare how different types of regimes in countries such as Italy, France and the UK, Poland and Czechoslovakia, South Africa, China, India and Chile; have incorporated or otherwise responded to the new discourse. Analyzing the surfacing and uses of civil society, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of political science, analysts, policymakers, non-profit think tanks and organizations interested in comparative international studies on the third sector.

Civil society has become one of the key parts of the reference framework for governance, seeking to replace traditional public action in which representative democracy is combined with bureaucratic implementation. The success of the civil society myth contrasts with and consequently manifests itself in the problems of political and social legitimacy and representation. This book assesses the shift in the meaning and application of civil society, from citizen protests to its incorporation into public action. It examines the diversity of interpretations and uses of civil society in different political contexts and seeks to understand the reasons for its surfacing and its multiple forms in political discourse. The authors critically analyze and compare how different types of regimes in countries such as Italy, France and the UK, Poland and Czechoslovakia, South Africa, China, India and Chile; have incorporated or otherwise responded to the new discourse. Analyzing the surfacing and uses of civil society, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of political science, analysts, policymakers, non-profit think tanks and organizations interested in comparative international studies on the third sector.

The book presents a theoretically informed typology of modes of governance which is tested in a careful selection of comparative country and policy studies. At the core is the question whether the European Union is destined to a network type of governance and whether and how this type of governance will be translated into the member states. The individual chapters subject the governing patterns at European and national level to empirical scrutiny. Drawing on recent research findings in different issue areas - including monetary union, social affairs, environment, genetic engineering and market liberalisation in transport, banking, energy, professional services - the contributions highlight the impact of the European activities on policy-making process in the member states.

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-Joerg Trenz, and Armin von Bogdandy

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-Jorg Trenz, and Armin von Bogdandy"

The book presents a theoretically informed typology of modes of governance which is tested in a careful selection of comparative country and policy studies. At the core is the question whether the European Union is destined to a network type of governance and whether and how this type of governance will be translated into the member states. The individual chapters subject the governing patterns at European and national level to empirical scrutiny. Drawing on recent research findings in different issue areas - including monetary union, social affairs, environment, genetic engineering and market liberalisation in transport, banking, energy, professional services - the contributions highlight the impact of the European activities on policy-making process in the member states.


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The democratic legitimacy of the European Union has become an increasingly urgent issue. In searching for a way out, academics, EU institutions, and political forces advocate the involvement of civil society. The Commission's new governance approach and the Lisbon Treaty introduced elements of participatory democracy and elevated civil society to a key actor in democratizing the EU. Does this hold upon closer scrutiny? This is the main question of the book. It investigates how the promise of civil society participation is put into practice and, based on an elaborate theoretical framework, evaluates whether the political practice deserves the quality attribute 'participatory democracy'. The book presents the results of a large research project composed of several highly original empirical studies. The research team used various methodological approaches and generated a rich data set. The wealth of empirical insight is evaluated against clear criteria deduced from normative democratic theory. As key elements of the analyses - democracy, participation, and civil society - are contested concepts, the authors placed particular emphasize on clarifying their understanding of these concepts and on considering competing interpretations. By relying on a consistent theoretical approach the authors present an unusually balanced evaluation. They come to convincing, though rather skeptical conclusions. Civil society participation in EU governance is not the democratic remedy its advocates had hoped for. This may not be a welcome but nevertheless it is an important finding both for European decision-makers, for civil society organizations and for scholars.

European governance ranks high on the present research agenda on Europe. Based on extensive, new, empirical research, this book presents a systematic and broad-ranging view of the multi-faceted interdependence of EU and national governance.

European governance ranks high on the present research agenda on Europe and has attracted considerable attention in public debate. This book takes a special approach as it highlights the multi-faceted interconnectedness of EU and national governance that comes with public policy making in the European space. The volume is a selection from the research of leading European scholars. These scholars provide an insight into the current debate on European governance by using state-of-the art, theory-orientated empirical research. The individual chapters give evidence of the functioning and the deficiencies of the penetrated system of governance that has emerged within the European Union. The spreading of competence across different levels and multiple arenas has created a dense and complex network of trans-national negotiations, shifting attention and resources from the national to the European space. European governance puts national governments under considerable pressure to live up to the competing demands of efficient performance and democratic accountability.

Globalisierung ist in aller Munde. Die Probleme sind uber die Grenzen von Staaten hinausgewachsen. Unternehmen und auch gesellschaftliche Interessengruppen sind zu machtvollen internationalen Akteuren geworden. Phanomene der Entgrenzung sind allgegenwartig. Diese Beobachtungen regen zum Nachdenken daruber an, welche Funktionen Grenzen fur die politische Regulierung von Gesellschaften erfullen, ob politische Problemlosung noch effizient betrieben werden kann, wie es mit der Zukunft der Demokratie, d. h. einer dem Burger gegenuber verantwortlichen Politik steht. Die Antworten in diesem Band sind verhalten optimistisch. Auch nach der Funktionsveranderung von staatlichen Grenzen ermoglichen innovative Formen der Kooperation sowohl auf internationaler Ebene wie auch in der EU weiterhin effizientes Regieren. Es wird allerdings kontrovers diskutiert, ob sich dadurch dauerhaft strukturelle Probleme fur die Demokratie ergeben, oder ob neue Formen des demokratischen Regierens denkbar und realisierbar sind."

Mit dem Thema "Staat und Demokratie" wurde erneut eine der Kernfragen des Faches in den Mittelpunkt der Erorterungen eines DVPW-Kongresses gestellt. Die Konzeption des Kongresses und damit dieses Bandes setzt bei den tiefgreifenden Prozessen der Um gestaltung im institutionellen Arrangement von Staat, Gesellschaft und Wirtschaft an. Er gliedert sich in drei thematische Bereiche: - Zukunft des Staates Im Mittelpunkt steht eine grundlegende Reflexion uber Staatlichkeit heute, die Hand lungsfahigkeit des Staates unter den Bedingungen internationaler Interdependenz und gewandelter interner Aufgabenlagen und gesellschaftlich-wirtschaftlicher Strukturie rungen und die normative Integration des demokratischen Staates der Gegenwart. - Konflikt und Konsensus In den ostlichen Landern zeichnen sich unterschiedliche Wege zu einer Wettbewerbsde mokratie ab, in den westlichen Landern werden deren Grenzen immer deutlicher. Im Kern geht es somit um die Entwicklung neuer politischer Konflikt- und Konsensformen im Rahmen einer sich neu formierenden Staatlichkeit sowie um den staatlichen Restruk turierungsprozess im Zuge der supranationalen Integration Westeuropas. - Die europaische Staatenwelt Die Bedeutung von Herrschaftsstrukturen und staatlicher Verfasstheit fur die Strukturie rung des internationalen Systems ist mit dem Ende des Ost-West-Konfliktes uberdeutlich geworden. Dies lenkt die Aufmerksamkeit auf Grundsatzfragen wie die nach der Frie densfahigkeit von Demokratien, der Regelbarkeit zwischenstaatlicher Beziehungen und einer moglicherweise neuen Qualitat internationaler Politik infolge von Veranderungen im innerstaatlichen Verhaltnis von Politik und Wirtschaft. Der Fokus auf Europa drangte sich angesichts des Wandels der politischen Konflikt strukturen in Westeuropa, des Systemumbruchs in den vormals "realsozialistischen" Staaten aber auch angesichts der erneuten Dynamik des staatenubergreifenden Integra tionsprozesses in Westeuropa geradezu auf."