A new examination of the actual place of discourse in democratic policymaking. It tackles key questions, such as when and how does discourse matter during major political institutional change? and what is the power of Europeanization in domestic and international policy changes? This new study delivers enlightening answers to these key questions by examining policy discourse, Europeanization, and the classic variables of politics in their institutional context. It presents sophisticated theoretical analysis grounded in empirically-rich comparative case studies on security and defense cooperation, international negotiations on trade and agricultural policy, deregulation of telecommunications and banking, and reform of anti-discrimination policy. This is a Special Issue of the leading journal West European Politics.

How can we conceptualize identity and legitimacy in the context of the European union? What is the role of narratives, political symbols, public debate and institutional practices in the process of identity formation and legitimacy consolidation? Debating Political Identity and Legitimacy in the European Union addresses these questions and brings together high profile scholars from various disciplinary backgrounds to debate the ontological and epistemological aspects of research on identity and legitimacy formation in the EU. Part I investigates key elements such as the relationship between 'Europeanization' of the EU member states and its effect on the political identity of their citizens; the relationship between the politicization of the EU and processes of identity and legitimacy formation; and the indispensability of European identity for legitimizing the EU. Part II looks at pathways to identity formation and legitimacy construction in the EU by considering alternative types of constitutional legitimacy; political symbolism; Europeanization and politicization of the debate on EU focusing on the foreign policy domain. Bringing together a wide but coherent range of high profile perspectives, this book will of interest to students and scholars of European studies, Political Science, Philosophy, Sociology and Law.

How can we conceptualize identity and legitimacy in the context of the European union? What is the role of narratives, political symbols, public debate and institutional practices in the process of identity formation and legitimacy consolidation? Debating Political Identity and Legitimacy in the European Union addresses these questions and brings together high profile scholars from various disciplinary backgrounds to debate the ontological and epistemological aspects of research on identity and legitimacy formation in the EU. Part I investigates key elements such as the relationship between Europeanization' of the EU member states and its effect on the political identity of their citizens; the relationship between the politicization of the EU and processes of identity and legitimacy formation; and the indispensability of European identity for legitimizing the EU. Part II looks at pathways to identity formation and legitimacy construction in the EU by considering alternative types of constitutional legitimacy; political symbolism; Europeanization and politicization of the debate on EU focusing on the foreign policy domain. Bringing together a wide but coherent range of high profile perspectives, this book will of interest to students and scholars of European studies, Political Science, Philosophy, Sociology and Law.

A new examination of the actual place of discourse in democratic policymaking.

It tackles key questions, such as when and how does discourse matter during major political institutional change? and what is the power of Europeanization in domestic and international policy changes?

This new study delivers enlightening answers to these key questions by examining policy discourse, Europeanization, and the classic variables of politics in their institutional context. It presents sophisticated theoretical analysis grounded in empirically-rich comparative case studies on security and defense cooperation, international negotiations on trade and agricultural policy, deregulation of telecommunications and banking, and reform of anti-discrimination policy.

This is a Special Issue of the leading journal West European Politics.