Democratic Politics in the European Parliament

Democratic Politics in the European Parliament PDF Author: Simon Hix
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139464795
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 14

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Book Description
With the European Parliament comprising politicians from many different countries, cultures, languages, national parties and institutional backgrounds, one might expect politics in the Parliament to be highly-fragmented and unpredictable. By studying more than 12,000 recorded votes between 1979 and 2004 this 2007 book establishes that the opposite is in fact true: transnational parties in the European Parliament are highly cohesive and the classic 'left-right' dimension dominates voting behaviour. Furthermore, the cohesion of parties in the European Parliament has increased as the powers of the Parliament have increased. The authors suggest that the main reason for these developments is that like-minded MEPs have incentives to form stable transnational party organizations and to use these organizations to compete over European Union policies. They suggest that this is a positive development for the future of democratic accountability in the European Union.

Democratic Politics in the European Parliament

Democratic Politics in the European Parliament PDF Author: Simon Hix
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139464795
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 14

Get Book

Book Description
With the European Parliament comprising politicians from many different countries, cultures, languages, national parties and institutional backgrounds, one might expect politics in the Parliament to be highly-fragmented and unpredictable. By studying more than 12,000 recorded votes between 1979 and 2004 this 2007 book establishes that the opposite is in fact true: transnational parties in the European Parliament are highly cohesive and the classic 'left-right' dimension dominates voting behaviour. Furthermore, the cohesion of parties in the European Parliament has increased as the powers of the Parliament have increased. The authors suggest that the main reason for these developments is that like-minded MEPs have incentives to form stable transnational party organizations and to use these organizations to compete over European Union policies. They suggest that this is a positive development for the future of democratic accountability in the European Union.

The Political System of the European Union

The Political System of the European Union PDF Author: Simon Hix
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780333716533
Category : European Union
Languages : en
Pages : 427

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Book Description
Systematically revised and rewritten throughout and updated to cover the impact of EU enlargement, this text analyzes the EU as a political system using the methods of comparative political science.

Democratic Politics in a European Union Under Stress

Democratic Politics in a European Union Under Stress PDF Author: Olaf Cramme
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0198724489
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
This book offers the first comprehensive political analysis of the Euro crisis that erupted in Greece in 2010 and subsequently threatened the very survival of the Euro area. It has left a profound mark on democratic politics all over Europe, changing public attitudes and voting preferences, institutional and societal norms, and deeply anchored political traditions. The contributors to this volume reveal the extent to which policymakers are torn between the pressures emanating from financial markets and the demands put forward by their own constituents; how they struggle to reconcile national preferences with wider European interests; and how a polarized and politicized Union seeks to maintain some degree of cohesion. The emerging picture is that of a European Union under serious stress, transformed by new governance structures and a shifting balance of power. In response, the authors evaluate the prospects of a more legitimate and democratic Europe. They provide a rich and pluralist set of new analyses and proposals, aimed at understanding and navigating the myriad tensions which surround the EU in the aftermath of the crisis. If the European project is to regain the trust of its citizens, such considerations must take a central place in public debate.

The Political System of the European Union

The Political System of the European Union PDF Author: Simon Hix
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350325511
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 457

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Book Description
Starting from the observation that the European Union now possesses many of the attributes of modern political systems, Hix and Høyland take an innovative approach to analysing, researching and teaching the EU. Using the general theories of political science to understand how the EU works, this text covers each of the main processes in the EU political system - executive, legislative and judicial politics, public opinion, interest groups and democracy, and regulatory, monetary and foreign policies - introducing the key political science tools, reviewing the relevant theories, and applying the knowledge in detailed descriptive analysis. As well as incorporating new data and the latest research, this new edition examines the consequences of the dramatic political and policy developments in the EU over the past decade. The methodology used in the text makes the political system of the EU accessible to political science students as a whole, as well as those specifically studying and researching the EU.

Democratic Politics in the European Parliament

Democratic Politics in the European Parliament PDF Author: Simon Hix
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781107172180
Category : Legislative power
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
With the European Parliament comprising politicians from many different countries, cultures, languages, national parties and institutional backgrounds, one might expect politics in the Parliament to be highly-fragmented and unpredictable. By studying more than 12,000 recorded votes between 1979 and 2004 this 2007 book establishes that the opposite is in fact true: transnational parties in the European Parliament are highly cohesive and the classic 'left-right' dimension dominates voting behaviour. Furthermore, the cohesion of parties in the European Parliament has increased as the powers of the Parliament have increased. The authors suggest that the main reason for these developments is that like-minded MEPs have incentives to form stable transnational party organizations and to use these organizations to compete over European Union policies. They suggest that this is a positive development for the future of democratic accountability in the European Union.

Shaping Parliamentary Democracy

Shaping Parliamentary Democracy PDF Author: Alfredo De Feo
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030272133
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 159

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Book Description
This book analyses nearly 100 original interviews with Members of the European Parliament from across the European Union who were active between 1979 and 2019. These interviews, preserved in the Historical Archives of the European Union at the European University Institute, capture the memories of the MEPs about their own roles and their assessment of what the parliament achieved in developing a European parliamentary democracy in the forty years following the first direct elections. The book offers a taste of the interviews in ten chapters, each of which corresponds to a specific theme presented in the archive: choosing the parliament, working inside the parliament machine, living inside the political groups, playing a part in major moments, influencing and shaping policy, scrutinizing and holding to account, making a mark beyond the EU, communicating the work of the parliament, keeping in touch with national societies, and looking to the future.

The European Parliament

The European Parliament PDF Author: Bernard Steunenberg
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 9780742501263
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
Exploring the European Union's 'democratic deficit,' this book traces the halting development of parliamentary democracy at the European level. Arguing that the key actor in this crucial process is the European Parliament, the contributors concentrate on two of the classic functions of a parliament: the legislative and the representative. The contributors analyze the ongoing tensions between party orientations and national loyalties, between national parties and European party groups, and between representatives at the national and regional level. Visit our website for sample chapters!

Democratic Empowerment in the European Union

Democratic Empowerment in the European Union PDF Author: David Levi-Faur
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 178811356X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
This book looks at democratic empowerment via institutional designs that extend the political rights of European citizens. It focuses on three themes: first, the positive and negative effects of the European Union institutional design on the political rights of its citizens; second, challenges for democratic regimes across the world in the 21st century in the context of regionalism and globalization; third, the constraints of neoliberalism and capitalist markets on the ability of citizens to effectively achieve their political rights within the Union.

Building Europe's Parliament

Building Europe's Parliament PDF Author: Berthold Rittberger
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191534269
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
Why have the national governments of EU member states successively endowed the European Parliament with supervisory, budgetary, and legislative powers over the past fifty years? Building Europe's Parliament sheds new light on this pivotal issue, and provides a major contribution to the study of the European Parliament. Rittberger develops a theory of delegation to representative institutions in international politics which combines elements of democratic theory and different strands of institutionalist theory. To test the plausibility of his theory, Rittberger draws on extensive archival material and offers theory-guided, in-depth case studies of three landmark decisions in the history of the European Parliament: the creation of the Common Assembly of the ECSC in 1951 and the concomitant acquisition of supervisory powers vis-à-vis the quasi-executive High Authority; the delegation of budgetary powers following the signing of the Treaty of Luxembourg in 1970; and the delegation of legislative powers resulting from the adoption of the Single European Act signed in 1986. This is followed by the charting of more recent key developments, culminating in the adoption of the Constitutional Treaty in 2004. The book provides a welcome addition to the literature on institutional design by reflecting on the conditions under which governments opt for the creation and empowerment of parliamentary institutions in international politics. It also makes a valuable contribution to the application of democratic theory to the study of the European Union by demonstrating that political elites shared the view that the new supranational polity which emerged from the debris of World War II suffered from 'democratic deficit' since its inception, thus disproving the claim that the lamented 'democratic deficit' is a recent phenomenon.

People and Parliament in the European Union

People and Parliament in the European Union PDF Author: Jean Blondel
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198293089
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
The power of the European Parliament has been steadily and visibly increasing, but the already low rate of turnout in European elections has declined. This text analyzes these concepts of applicability at the European level.