From the "Democratic Deficit" to a "Democratic Surplus"

From the Author: Athanasios Psygkas
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190632771
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 377

Get Book Here

Book Description
Challenging the conventional narrative that the European Union suffers from a "democratic deficit," Athanasios Psygkas argues that EU mandates have enhanced the democratic accountability of national regulatory agencies. This is because EU law has created entry points for stakeholder participation in the operation of national regulators; these avenues for public participation were formerly either not open or not institutionalized to this degree. By focusing on how the EU formally adopted procedural mandates to advance the substantive goal of creating an internal market in electronic communications, Psygkas demonstrates that EU requirements have had significant implications for the nature of administrative governance in the member states. Drawing on theoretical arguments in favor of decentralization traditionally applied to substantive policy-making, this book provides insight into regulatory processes to show how the decentralized EU structure may transform national regulatory authorities into individual loci of experimentation that might in turn develop innovative results. It thus contributes to debates about federalism, governance and public policy, as well as about deliberative and participatory democracy in the United States and Europe. This book informs current understandings of regulatory agency operations and institutional design by drawing on an original dataset of public consultations and interviews with agency officials, industry and consumer group representatives in Paris, Athens, Brussels, and London. The on-the-ground original research provides a strong foundation for the directions the case law could take and small- and larger-scale institutional reforms that balance the goals of democracy, accountability, and efficiency.

From the "Democratic Deficit" to a "Democratic Surplus"

From the Author: Athanasios Psygkas
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190632771
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 377

Get Book Here

Book Description
Challenging the conventional narrative that the European Union suffers from a "democratic deficit," Athanasios Psygkas argues that EU mandates have enhanced the democratic accountability of national regulatory agencies. This is because EU law has created entry points for stakeholder participation in the operation of national regulators; these avenues for public participation were formerly either not open or not institutionalized to this degree. By focusing on how the EU formally adopted procedural mandates to advance the substantive goal of creating an internal market in electronic communications, Psygkas demonstrates that EU requirements have had significant implications for the nature of administrative governance in the member states. Drawing on theoretical arguments in favor of decentralization traditionally applied to substantive policy-making, this book provides insight into regulatory processes to show how the decentralized EU structure may transform national regulatory authorities into individual loci of experimentation that might in turn develop innovative results. It thus contributes to debates about federalism, governance and public policy, as well as about deliberative and participatory democracy in the United States and Europe. This book informs current understandings of regulatory agency operations and institutional design by drawing on an original dataset of public consultations and interviews with agency officials, industry and consumer group representatives in Paris, Athens, Brussels, and London. The on-the-ground original research provides a strong foundation for the directions the case law could take and small- and larger-scale institutional reforms that balance the goals of democracy, accountability, and efficiency.

Report on the State of the European Union

Report on the State of the European Union PDF Author: E. Laurent
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137451084
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 252

Get Book Here

Book Description
This volume is the fourth instalment of the 'Report on the state of the European Union' series. Its shows that if the EU does not want to be ruled by crisis any longer, it must invest in sustainability, political, economic, social and environmental. Europe must turn this elusive and ever-threatening 'crisis' into a chosen and meaningful transition.

A Democratic Architecture for the Welfare State

A Democratic Architecture for the Welfare State PDF Author: Victor A. Pestoff
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134024479
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 337

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book addresses the need for a more democratic architecture for the European welfare state by promoting citizen participation, the third sector and co-production of welfare services.

Alternatives to Neoliberalism

Alternatives to Neoliberalism PDF Author: Bryn Jones
Publisher: Policy Press
ISBN: 144733115X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 298

Get Book Here

Book Description
In this collection, innovative and eminent social and policy analysts, including Colin Crouch, Anna Coote, Grahame Thompson and Ted Benton, challenge the failing but still dominant ideology and policies of neo-liberalism. The editors synthesise contributors’ ideas into a revised framework for social democracy; rooted in feminism, environmentalism, democratic equality and market accountability to civil society. This constructive and stimulating collection will be invaluable for those teaching, studying and campaigning for transformative political, economic and social policies.

The Symbolic Politics of European Integration

The Symbolic Politics of European Integration PDF Author: Jacob Krumrey
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319681338
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 250

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book presents a cultural history of European integration. It revisits the European Community’s postwar origins through the lens of symbolic representation and so reveals a hitherto unknown side to Europe’s notorious technocrats. They were not simply administrators: they were skillful marketing experts, clever spin doctors, and talented stage directors. After all, what made the European Community stand out among the multitude of postwar European organizations? This book argues that it was not so much its vaunted supranationalism, nor its economic significance; it was its self-proclaimed role as torchbearer of European unity. Combining archival research with media analysis, The Symbolic Politics of European Integration reviews Europe’s early parliaments, its early diplomacy, and its long search for “capital cities,” from Strasbourg to Brussels. It tells the story of the political theater that staged an enterprise of technocrats as the embodiment of a Europe united in peace and prosperity. This book is an invaluable resource for historians of postwar Europe, as well as for analysts of today’s EU, who seek to understand how coal, steel, and tariffs became the stuff the European dream was made of.

Debating European Citizenship

Debating European Citizenship PDF Author: Rainer Bauböck
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9783319899046
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
This open access book raises crucial questions about the citizenship of the European Union. Is it a new citizenship beyond the nation-state although it is derived from Member State nationality? Who should get it? What rights and duties does it entail? Should EU citizens living in other Member States be able to vote there in national elections? If there are tensions between free movement and social rights, which should take priority? And should the European Court of Justice determine what European citizenship is about or the legislative institutions of the EU or national parliaments? This book collects a wide range of answers to these questions from legal scholars, political scientists, and political practitioners. It is structured as a series of three conversations in which authors respond to each other. This exchange of arguments provides unique depth to the debate.

Comparative Politics and Government of the Baltic States

Comparative Politics and Government of the Baltic States PDF Author: D. Auers
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137369973
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 441

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book traces the development of the political institutions, electoral systems, parties, civil society, economic and social policies and foreign affairs of the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania over the last quarter century.

The Digital Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy

The Digital Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy PDF Author: Philip N. Howard
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199813663
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 301

Get Book Here

Book Description
Around the developing world, political leaders face a dilemma: the very information and communication technologies that boost economic fortunes also undermine power structures. Globally, one in ten internet users is a Muslim living in a populous Muslim community. In these countries, young people are developing political identities online, and digital technologies are helping civil society build systems of political communication independent of the state and beyond easy manipulation by cultural or religious elites. With unique data on patterns of media ownership and technology use, The Digital Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy demonstrates how, since the mid-1990s, information technologies have had a role in political transformation. Democratic revolutions are not caused by new information technologies. But in the Muslim world, democratization is no longer possible without them.

The Politics of the Euro-zone

The Politics of the Euro-zone PDF Author: Kenneth H. F. Dyson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199241643
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 322

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book is intended for scholars and Students of Politics, European Union Politics, 20th Century European History, Public Policy, Economic History, Journalists, Political Analysts, and Policy Makers.

Financial Crisis Management and Democracy

Financial Crisis Management and Democracy PDF Author: Bettina De Souza Guilherme
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030548953
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 372

Get Book Here

Book Description
This open access book discusses financial crisis management and policy in Europe and Latin America, with a special focus on equity and democracy. Based on a three-year research project by the Jean Monnet Network, this volume takes an interdisciplinary, comparative approach, analyzing both the role and impact of the EU and regional organizations in Latin America on crisis management as well as the consequences of crisis on the process of European integration and on Latin America’s regionalism. The book begins with a theoretical introduction, exploring the effects of the paradigm change on economic policies in Europe and in Latin America and analyzing key systemic aspects of the unsustainability of the present economic system explaining the global crises and their interconnections. The following chapters are divided into sections. The second section explores aspects of regional governance and how the economic and financial crises were managed on a macro level in Europe and Latin America. The third and fourth sections use case studies to drill down to the impact of the crises at the national and regional levels, including the emergence of political polarization and rise in populism in both areas. The last section presents proposals for reform, including the transition from finance capitalism to a sustainable real capitalism in both regions and at the inter-regional level of EU-LAC relations.The volume concludes with an epilogue on financial crises, regionalism, and domestic adjustment by Loukas Tsoukalis, President of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP). Written by an international network of academics, practitioners and policy advisors, this volume will be of interest to researchers and students interested in macroeconomics, comparative regionalism, democracy, and financial crisis management as well as politicians, policy advisors, and members of national and regional organizations in the EU and Latin America.