For the European Union of the 21st century, the search for sustainable prosperity and stability includes the challenge of reconciling democratic ideals and practices with the construction of a European constitutional order. From the 2001 Laeken Summit to the 2009 Lisbon Treaty and beyond EU leaders have repeatedly set out to bring citizens closer to EU governance by making it more democratic and effective yet several national ratification referendums have shown that publics are divided about whether and why to endorse or veto complex EU reform packages imposed from the top down. Despite these limitations people do effectively engage in the making of a European polity. By initiating national court proceedings active citizens are promoting fundamental European rights in Member States' practices. As party members they contribute to shaping mass media communication about, and national publics' understanding of, European political alternatives. As civil society activists citizens help build social networks for contesting certain EU reforms or advocating others. Last but not least, as voters in national and European elections they choose between competing party visions, and national parliamentary stances regarding the role of democratic citizenship. This original contribution to the debate about democratic citizenship vis-A -vis the challenges of economic globalization and European political integration presents critical explorations of different fields of direct, representative, participatory and deliberative democratic citizenship practices that affect the transformation of Europe.

Over the past two decades, civil society has played a pivotal role in Europe, from the demise of Communist rule to the reunification of Europe, followed by the expansion of the single market to the reconstitution of democracy in the enlarged European Union. European civil society has emerged as a social space between EU governance and the citizens of the member states, populated by non-state agents claiming to represent, speak for or participate on behalf of the most varied social constituencies in EU decision making. This book consolidates European civil society research by re-viewing its conceptual, normative and empirical-analytical foundations. With contributors from political science to sociology to law, it captures the evolving practices of European civil society that stretch across the national (local), the European and the global realm. Developing an analytical framework that highlights the interplay between civil society building and polity building from above as well as from below, within the legal and institutional framework of the EU, they examine whether and how civil society can contribute to making democracy work in normative democratic theoretical perspectives. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of civil society, European politics, political science and sociology.

Over the past two decades, civil society has played a pivotal role in Europe, from the demise of Communist rule to the reunification of Europe, followed by the expansion of the single market to the reconstitution of democracy in the enlarged European Union. European civil society has emerged as a social space between EU governance and the citizens of the member states, populated by non-state agents claiming to represent, speak for or participate on behalf of the most varied social constituencies in EU decision making. This book consolidates European civil society research by re-viewing its conceptual, normative and empirical-analytical foundations. With contributors from political science to sociology to law, it captures the evolving practices of European civil society that stretch across the national (local), the European and the global realm. Developing an analytical framework that highlights the interplay between civil society building and polity building from above as well as from below, within the legal and institutional framework of the EU, they examine whether and how civil society can contribute to making democracy work in normative democratic theoretical perspectives. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of civil society, European politics, political science and sociology.

For the European Union of the 21st century, the search for sustainable prosperity and stability includes the challenge of reconciling democratic ideals and practices with the construction of a European constitutional order. From the 2001 Laeken Summit to the 2009 Lisbon Treaty and beyond EU leaders have repeatedly set out to bring citizens closer to EU governance by making it more democratic and effective yet several national ratification referendums have shown that publics are divided about whether and why to endorse or veto complex EU reform packages imposed from the top down. Despite these limitations people do effectively engage in the making of a European polity. By initiating national court proceedings active citizens are promoting fundamental European rights in Member States' practices. As party members they contribute to shaping mass media communication about, and national publics' understanding of, European political alternatives. As civil society activists citizens help build social networks for contesting certain EU reforms or advocating others. Last but not least, as voters in national and European elections they choose between competing party visions, and national parliamentary stances regarding the role of democratic citizenship. This original contribution to the debate about democratic citizenship vis-A -vis the challenges of economic globalization and European political integration presents critical explorations of different fields of direct, representative, participatory and deliberative democratic citizenship practices that affect the transformation of Europe.

The book explores how the European Union and its members have been renegotiating Europeanisation and renationalisation in response to the multiple crises they faced in recent years. The authors highlight varying understandings of ´crises´ in different national and supranational policy and institutional contexts. They show how in some cases these have challenged the legitimacy of European Union norms and institutions and even triggered disintegration, while in other cases these crises have served as sources of inspiration for European social innovation and political development.

Unter Mitwirkung von KollegInnen verschiedener Facher der Universitat Bremen hat der Studiengang BA Integrierte Europastudien seit 2004 ein modularisiertes Curriculum entwickelt und erfolgreich erprobt.Das vorliegende Lehrbuch basiert auf diesen Kenntnissen undsoll eine Lucke im FachgebietdeutschsprachigerEuropastudiengange schliessen. Die einzelnen Kapitel vermitteln einen Uberblick uber Grund-, Vertiefungs- und Spezialkenntnisse zum Thema "Europastudien" und sind sowohl fur Studierende undLehrende als auch fur interessierte Journalisten und Leser im Allgemeinen verfasst."

Die Idee zu dieser Arbeit ware kaum ohne die Anregungen durch das von Philippe C. Schmitter geleitete Forschungsprojekt "Demokratische Konsoli dierung in Sudeuropa" (1985/86) wahrend meiner Tatigkeit am Europaischen Hochschulinstitut in Florenz entstanden. Ohne die Mittel der Stiftung Volks wagenwerk (1986-1988) und des spanischen Wissenschaftsministeriums (1988-1989) hatten meine empirischen Forschungen in Italien und Spanien schwerlich realisiert werden konnen. Ohne die Beratung durch Maurizio Cotta (Universitat Siena), Gianni Long (Camera dei deputati), Liborio Mattina (Universitat FlorenzITriest) und viele andere italienische und spanische Kollegen hatte ich aus ihren Ergebnissen sehr viel weniger Sinn machen konnen. Und ohne die Unterstutzung Klaus von Beymes ware meine Untersuchung schliesslich kaum zu der Habilitationsschrift ausgereift, die 1994 von der Philosophisch-Historischen Fakultat der Universitat Heidelberg angenommen wurde. Dass diese nun als Buch publiziert vorliegt, ist nicht zuletzt denen zu danken, die fachkompetent an den Feldforschungen mitgewirkt haben - Paola Casini und Perfrancesco Lotito -, die bei der Erstellung der Grafiken und Schaubilder - Tilmar Ferbers - und an der Uberarbeitung des Manuskripts - vor allem Gotz Munstermann - beteiligt waren. Dank auch meinen Kollegen Gaby von Rhein-Kress und Michael Krennerich fur ihre kritischen Kommentare zu Teilen des Manuskripts sowie meinen Heidelberger Freunden und vor allem meinem Sohn Till fur grossartige moralische Unterstutzung. Letztendlich verantwortlich fur Irrtumer und Schwachen bin allein ich. 5 Inhalt Vorwort 5 Verzeichnis der Tabellen und Figuren 11 Abkurzungsverzeichnis 15 Einleitung 19 1."

"Informal institutions do matter " Mit diesem Fazit zur Praxis politischer Partizipation formuliert dieser Band die pointierte These, dass in formal verfassten Demokratien entscheidende Mechanismen des Burgerengagements "im Schatten demokratischer Legitimitat" verborgen liegen. Mit ihren von Osteuropa und Afrika uber Lateinamerika bis Japan reichenden regionalen Schwerpunkten und ihrem Fokus auf Armen, Arbeitern, Frauen, Studenten oder der Zivilgesellschaft insgesamt suchen die Einzelbeitrage diese Grauzonen der Demokratisierungs- und Partizipationsforschung aufzuhellen. Als einigendes theoretisches Band dient die neuere Institutionentheorie in ihren okonomischen, soziologischen oder feministischen Varianten."

Die Politik zur Deutschen Einheit - Probleme, Positionen, Kontroversen Es gibt Zeiten, in denen sich die Ereignisse ubersturzen und von anderen uber- holt werden, noch ehe sie auf den Begriff gebracht sind. Es sind dies Perioden, in denen sich konsolidierte Strukturen scheinbar verflussigen und die Komple- xitat des "auch anders Moeglichen" zumindest temporar freigeben - bevor sie in einer mehr oder minder veranderten Form wieder festgefroren werden. Nachdem die "deutsche Frage" mit den Weichenstellungen von 1947-49 uber vier Jahrzehnte faktisch eingefroren war, setzte im Herbst 1989 ein grossregio- nal bedingtes ploetzliches Tauwetter ein. Die nationale Frage entfaltete in nur wenigen Monaten ihre gesamte Komplexitat - ihre historischen Verwirrungen und politischen Logiken, die mit ihr verbundenen oekonomischen Interessen und sozialen Konflikte, die ihr inharenten psychologischen Traumata, Kom- plexe, AEngste und kulturellen Leitmotive. Dieses Buch bietet weder eine Chronologie der Ereignisse noch parteiliche Stellungnahmen, kein Pladoyer fur oder wider die deutsche Einheit. Nicht Ge- sinnungen werden artikuliert, nicht emphatische Bekundungen zum "natio- nalstaatlichen Imperativ" verlautbart. Mit diesen ist das Publikum seit dem Herbst 1989 schon reichlich uberschuttet worden. Sie reichten im Inland von den Publikationen der "journalistischen Adjudanten" der offiziellen Politik in den Massenmedien uber die deutschlandpolitischen "Bekenntnisse" von Schriftstellern wie Martin Walser, bis zu kritischen Stimmen, wie denen von Gunter Grass und Jurgen Habermas, die unter dem Eindruck der deutsch- nationalen Katastrophen dieses Jahrhunderts auf nichtnationale, unversalisti- sche Prinzipien der Moral und Vernunft setzten und dem auf nationale Eini- gung orientierten herrschenden Zeitgeist widersprachen.

European studies frequently regard the economic and social dimensions of EU integration as diametrically opposed, maintaining that this state of affairs is beyond change. This edited collection challenges this perceived wisdom, focusing on the post-Lisbon constitutional landscape. Taking the multi-layered polity that is Europe today as its central organising theme, it examines how the social and the economic might be reconciled under the Union's different forms of governance. The collection has a clear structure, opening with a theoretical appraisal of its theme, before considering three specific policy fields: migration policy and civic integration, company law and corporate social responsibility and the role of third sector providers in public healthcare. It concludes with three case studies in these fields, illustrating how the argument can be practically applied. Insightful and topical, with a unique interdisciplinary perspective, this is an important contribution to European Union law after the Lisbon Treaty.

This edited collection assembles cutting-edge comparative policy research on contemporary policies relevant to gender and workplace issues. Contributors analyze contemporary gender-related employment policies ranging from parental leave and maternity programs, sexual harassment, and work/life balance to gender mainstreaming. Gender and Work in Comparative Perspective thoroughly illustrates the richness of understanding that can be gained through the juxtaposition of a variety of research methodologies focused on a common theme. The side-by-side presentation of single case studies on countries such as Canada, the United States, Germany, and Japan allows readers to compare and understand a wide range of policy options, thereby integrating what are usually separate bodies of research on the role of gender in welfare state developments, employment transformations, workplace policies, and work experience. An essential tool for scholars in many fields, this volume clearly illustrates how national approaches to gender and workplace policy form a spectrum of alternatives that, while rooted in the historical and social cultures of individual nation-states, are also subject to similar international global and economic forces.

This edited collection assembles cutting-edge comparative policy research on contemporary policies relevant to gender and workplace issues. Contributors analyze contemporary gender-related employment policies ranging from parental leave and maternity programs, sexual harassment, and work/life balance to gender mainstreaming. Gender and Work in Comparative Perspective thoroughly illustrates the richness of understanding that can be gained through the juxtaposition of a variety of research methodologies focused on a common theme. The side-by-side presentation of single case studies on countries such as Canada, the United States, Germany, and Japan allows readers to compare and understand a wide range of policy options, thereby integrating what are usually separate bodies of research on the role of gender in welfare state developments, employment transformations, workplace policies, and work experience. An essential tool for scholars in many fields, this volume clearly illustrates how national approaches to gender and workplace policy form a spectrum of alternatives that, while rooted in the historical and social cultures of individual nation-states, are also subject to similar international global and economic forces.

The social welfare state is believed by many to be one of the great achievements of Western democracy in the twentieth century. It institutionalized for the first time a collective commitment to improving individual life chances and social well-being. However, as we move into a new century, the social welfare state everywhere has come under increasing pressure, raising serious doubts about its survival. Featuring essays by experts from a variety of fields, including law, comparative politics, sociology, economics, cultural studies, philosophy, and political theory, Women and Welfare represents an interdisciplinary, multimethodological and multicultural feminist approach to recent changes in the welfare system of Western industrialized nations. The broad perspective, from the philosophical to the quantitative, provides an excellent overview of the subject and the most recent scholarly literature. The volume offers a crosscultural analysis of welfare "reform" in the 1990s, visions of what a "woman-friendly" welfare state requires, and an examination of theoretical and policy questions feminists and concerned others should be asking.

Bruxelles, Bern, Berlin, Frankfurt/M., New York, Oxford, Wien. The advancement of European gender equality rights over the past three decades has been accompanied by a growing diversity of gender regimes in an enlarging EU. While the paradigms in European governance research tend to focus on homogenisation, enforcement and compliance with EU norms, comparative approaches to Europeanisation are premised on the awareness of a multiple Europe. This book explores gendered varieties of Europeanisation, ranging from resistance to adaptation, transformation and innovation. How have EU members engaged with EC equal-opportunity directives since 1975? Which gender issues have sparked political controversy? What were the outcomes of the interplays between EU norms and domestic gender regimes, public discourses on the EU and gender equality advocates? Gendering Europeanisation presents the findings of an international group of social and political scientists based at the University of Bremen. The volume begins with a scrutiny of the mechanisms and forms of Europeanisation, presents case studies of six countries and concludes with a comparative analysis of gender politics in Europe. Contents: Ulrike Liebert: Between Diversity and Equality: Analysing Europeanisation - Silke Reuter/Amy G. Mazur: Paradoxes of Gender-Biased Universalism: The Dynamics of French Equality Discourse - Petra Kodre/Henrike Muller: Shifting Policy Frames: EU Equal Treatment Norms and Domestic Discourses in Germany - Marina Calloni: From Maternalism to Mainstreaming: Femocrats and the Reframing of Gender Equality Policy in Italy - Stefanie Sifft: Pushing for Europeanisation: How British Feminists Link with the EU to PromoteParental Rights - Celia Valiente: Pushing for Equality Reforms: The European Union and Gender Discourse in Post-Authoritarian Spain - Milena Sunnus: EU Challenges to the Pioneer in Gender Equality: The Case of Sweden - Ulrike Liebert: Gendering Europeanisation: Patterns and Dynamics - Jorn Ketelhut: Appendix: EU Gender Equality Law, Gender Disparities in Domestic Labour Markets, and Public EU Support.