Adrienne Héritier
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199298129
- eISBN:
- 9780191711633
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199298129.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
This chapter examines the patterns of long-term institutional change which are typical for a number of important institutional rules governing the decision-making process in the European Union. It ...
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This chapter examines the patterns of long-term institutional change which are typical for a number of important institutional rules governing the decision-making process in the European Union. It discusses five institutional rules: the European Parliament's role in legislation; the presidency of the Council; the Parliament and the Investiture of the Commission; the composition of the Commission; and controlling the implementation powers of the Commission. These rules are scrutinized in the light of the theoretical explanations outlined in Chapter 3. This is done to assess which theory offers the most plausible explanation for the institutional change in a particular period of time and to ascertain whether perhaps several factors derived from different theories interact with each other in explaining the outcome.Less
This chapter examines the patterns of long-term institutional change which are typical for a number of important institutional rules governing the decision-making process in the European Union. It discusses five institutional rules: the European Parliament's role in legislation; the presidency of the Council; the Parliament and the Investiture of the Commission; the composition of the Commission; and controlling the implementation powers of the Commission. These rules are scrutinized in the light of the theoretical explanations outlined in Chapter 3. This is done to assess which theory offers the most plausible explanation for the institutional change in a particular period of time and to ascertain whether perhaps several factors derived from different theories interact with each other in explaining the outcome.
Mette Elise Jolly
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199213078
- eISBN:
- 9780191707155
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213078.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
The European Union is frequently accused of having a ‘democratic deficit’. Many commentators argue that this could be remedied by increasing the powers of the European Parliament relative to those of ...
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The European Union is frequently accused of having a ‘democratic deficit’. Many commentators argue that this could be remedied by increasing the powers of the European Parliament relative to those of the Council and the Commission. The fact that the European Parliament is the only EU institution whose members are directly elected leads to the assumption that it is also the most legitimate. This book argues that this position is based on the flawed assumption that the nature of European citizenry is similar to those of the member states. In other words, the position assumes that the union has a demos, or a people, who are prepared to accept majority outcomes even when finding themselves in the minority. The book argues that this is not the case and that the most severe dimension of the democracy problem is not procedural, but socio-psychological. The fact that the EU does not have a people means that establishing an EU-wide democracy based on analogies to domestic political systems is likely to lead to a further loss of democratic legitimacy. The EU can rely on output legitimacy in policy areas which do not require pan-European solidarity and identity, and in which policy-making at EU-level increases efficiency and thereby benefits all citizens. However, policy areas which require high levels of solidarity or a common identity should either remain fully within the nation states, or be subject to intergovernmental rather than supranational decision-making at EU-level.Less
The European Union is frequently accused of having a ‘democratic deficit’. Many commentators argue that this could be remedied by increasing the powers of the European Parliament relative to those of the Council and the Commission. The fact that the European Parliament is the only EU institution whose members are directly elected leads to the assumption that it is also the most legitimate. This book argues that this position is based on the flawed assumption that the nature of European citizenry is similar to those of the member states. In other words, the position assumes that the union has a demos, or a people, who are prepared to accept majority outcomes even when finding themselves in the minority. The book argues that this is not the case and that the most severe dimension of the democracy problem is not procedural, but socio-psychological. The fact that the EU does not have a people means that establishing an EU-wide democracy based on analogies to domestic political systems is likely to lead to a further loss of democratic legitimacy. The EU can rely on output legitimacy in policy areas which do not require pan-European solidarity and identity, and in which policy-making at EU-level increases efficiency and thereby benefits all citizens. However, policy areas which require high levels of solidarity or a common identity should either remain fully within the nation states, or be subject to intergovernmental rather than supranational decision-making at EU-level.
Roger Scully
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199284320
- eISBN:
- 9780191603365
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199284326.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
Contemporary political science assumes that ‘institutions matter’. But the governing institutions of the European Union are widely presumed to matter more than most. A commonplace assumption about ...
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Contemporary political science assumes that ‘institutions matter’. But the governing institutions of the European Union are widely presumed to matter more than most. A commonplace assumption about the EU is that those working within European institutions are subject to a pervasive tendency to become socialised into progressively more pro-integration attitudes and behaviours. This assumption has been integral to many accounts of European integration, and is also central to how scholars study individual EU institutions. However, the theoretical and empirical adequacy of this assumption has never been properly investigated. This study examines this question in the context of an increasingly important EU institution, the European Parliament. The book integrates new theoretical arguments with a substantial amount of original empirical research. It develops a coherent understanding, based on simple rationalist principles, of when and why institutional socialisation is effective. This theoretical argument explains the main empirical findings of the book. Drawing on several sources of evidence on MEPs’ attitudes and behaviour, and deploying advanced empirical techniques, the empirical analysis shows the commonplace assumption about EU institutions to be false. European Parliamentarians do not become more pro-integration as they are socialised into the institution. The findings of the study generate some highly important conclusions. They indicate that institutional socialisation of political elites should be given a much more limited and conditional role in understanding European integration than it is accorded in many accounts. They suggest that MEPs remain largely national politicians in their attitudes, loyalties and much of their activities, and that traditional classifications of the European Parliament as a ‘supra-national’ institution are misleading. Finally, the study offers broader lessons about the circumstances in which institutions effectively socialise those working within them.Less
Contemporary political science assumes that ‘institutions matter’. But the governing institutions of the European Union are widely presumed to matter more than most. A commonplace assumption about the EU is that those working within European institutions are subject to a pervasive tendency to become socialised into progressively more pro-integration attitudes and behaviours. This assumption has been integral to many accounts of European integration, and is also central to how scholars study individual EU institutions. However, the theoretical and empirical adequacy of this assumption has never been properly investigated. This study examines this question in the context of an increasingly important EU institution, the European Parliament. The book integrates new theoretical arguments with a substantial amount of original empirical research. It develops a coherent understanding, based on simple rationalist principles, of when and why institutional socialisation is effective. This theoretical argument explains the main empirical findings of the book. Drawing on several sources of evidence on MEPs’ attitudes and behaviour, and deploying advanced empirical techniques, the empirical analysis shows the commonplace assumption about EU institutions to be false. European Parliamentarians do not become more pro-integration as they are socialised into the institution. The findings of the study generate some highly important conclusions. They indicate that institutional socialisation of political elites should be given a much more limited and conditional role in understanding European integration than it is accorded in many accounts. They suggest that MEPs remain largely national politicians in their attitudes, loyalties and much of their activities, and that traditional classifications of the European Parliament as a ‘supra-national’ institution are misleading. Finally, the study offers broader lessons about the circumstances in which institutions effectively socialise those working within them.
Jan Zielonka
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199292219
- eISBN:
- 9780191603754
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199292213.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
This chapter examines major challenges to democratic governance. It finds that the enlarged EU is more likely to opt for neo-medieval rather than neo-Westphalian solutions, and shows that the Union ...
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This chapter examines major challenges to democratic governance. It finds that the enlarged EU is more likely to opt for neo-medieval rather than neo-Westphalian solutions, and shows that the Union is likely to have a more multi-layered and multi-centered governance structure. Various non-majoritarian institutions are likely to dominate over a weak European parliament(s). Neither the assertion of a European demos nor consolidation of a European public space is expected.Less
This chapter examines major challenges to democratic governance. It finds that the enlarged EU is more likely to opt for neo-medieval rather than neo-Westphalian solutions, and shows that the Union is likely to have a more multi-layered and multi-centered governance structure. Various non-majoritarian institutions are likely to dominate over a weak European parliament(s). Neither the assertion of a European demos nor consolidation of a European public space is expected.
Roger Scully
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198297574
- eISBN:
- 9780191598982
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198297572.003.0012
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
This chapter examines the policy impact and level of support enjoyed by the European Parliament (EP). The EP has failed to secure deep-rooted support among the European public and significant sectors ...
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This chapter examines the policy impact and level of support enjoyed by the European Parliament (EP). The EP has failed to secure deep-rooted support among the European public and significant sectors of the political elite. It is a ‘vulnerable’ legislature without a solid constituency of support, rendering its hard-won policy prerogatives subject to future challenges. This vulnerability is attributed to its inability to generate a sense of democratic legitimacy for the EU as a whole.Less
This chapter examines the policy impact and level of support enjoyed by the European Parliament (EP). The EP has failed to secure deep-rooted support among the European public and significant sectors of the political elite. It is a ‘vulnerable’ legislature without a solid constituency of support, rendering its hard-won policy prerogatives subject to future challenges. This vulnerability is attributed to its inability to generate a sense of democratic legitimacy for the EU as a whole.
David M. Farrell and Roger Scully
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199285020
- eISBN:
- 9780191713651
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199285020.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The past fifteen years have seen declining public support for European integration, and widespread suggestions that a legitimacy crisis faces the European Union (EU). Many in the EU have believed ...
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The past fifteen years have seen declining public support for European integration, and widespread suggestions that a legitimacy crisis faces the European Union (EU). Many in the EU have believed that this problem could be effectively tackled by vesting greater powers in the European Parliament (EP), the Union's only directly-elected institution. The central argument of this book is that, while considerable efforts have been made to increase the status of the EP, it is in crucial respects a failure as a representative body. This failure is grounded in the manner in which the parliament is elected. The electoral systems used for EP elections in many EU countries are, the book argues, actively obstructive of Europe's voters being represented in the way that they are most likely to respond positively towards. While the behaviour of EP members is shaped strongly by the electoral systems under which they are elected (which vary across the twenty-five member states of the EU), the electoral systems currently in place push most of them to behave in ways contrary to what citizens desire. Drawing on public opinion data, surveys of MEPs and considerable qualitative interview evidence, this book that the failure of parliamentary representation in the EU has a strong foundation in electoral institutions.Less
The past fifteen years have seen declining public support for European integration, and widespread suggestions that a legitimacy crisis faces the European Union (EU). Many in the EU have believed that this problem could be effectively tackled by vesting greater powers in the European Parliament (EP), the Union's only directly-elected institution. The central argument of this book is that, while considerable efforts have been made to increase the status of the EP, it is in crucial respects a failure as a representative body. This failure is grounded in the manner in which the parliament is elected. The electoral systems used for EP elections in many EU countries are, the book argues, actively obstructive of Europe's voters being represented in the way that they are most likely to respond positively towards. While the behaviour of EP members is shaped strongly by the electoral systems under which they are elected (which vary across the twenty-five member states of the EU), the electoral systems currently in place push most of them to behave in ways contrary to what citizens desire. Drawing on public opinion data, surveys of MEPs and considerable qualitative interview evidence, this book that the failure of parliamentary representation in the EU has a strong foundation in electoral institutions.
Jean Blondel, Richard Sinnott, and Palle Svensson
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198293088
- eISBN:
- 9780191598814
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198293089.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
Examines perceptions of the power and reliability of the European Parliament and affective images of the Parliament as measured by an open‐ended, likes–dislikes question. As with the previous ...
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Examines perceptions of the power and reliability of the European Parliament and affective images of the Parliament as measured by an open‐ended, likes–dislikes question. As with the previous chapters, the relationship between such perceptions and images and participation/abstention in European Parliament elections is considered, with particular reference to the implications of the evidence for the second‐order‐election model.Less
Examines perceptions of the power and reliability of the European Parliament and affective images of the Parliament as measured by an open‐ended, likes–dislikes question. As with the previous chapters, the relationship between such perceptions and images and participation/abstention in European Parliament elections is considered, with particular reference to the implications of the evidence for the second‐order‐election model.
Oskar Niedermayer and Richard Sinnott
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294764
- eISBN:
- 9780191600005
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019829476X.003.0012
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter addresses the issue of democratic representation and legitimacy in the context of the European Community, with particular reference to one sector of its institutional structure: the ...
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This chapter addresses the issue of democratic representation and legitimacy in the context of the European Community, with particular reference to one sector of its institutional structure: the European Parliament. The evidence shows that the existence of a democratic deficit in the EC is widely recognized, not only by political elites and commentators but also by mass public opinion. The evidence also suggests that the institution which ought to be doing most to repair that deficit – the European Parliament – is not succeeding in the task. Only something between a quarter and one‐third of EC citizens have even a minimal understanding of its role, and tend to project on to it their conceptions of their own national legislatures. This factor, together with the persistently low levels of electoral turn‐out in European Parliament elections, indicates that the Parliament is not playing as large a role as it might in assisting the institutionalization of legitimacy.Less
This chapter addresses the issue of democratic representation and legitimacy in the context of the European Community, with particular reference to one sector of its institutional structure: the European Parliament. The evidence shows that the existence of a democratic deficit in the EC is widely recognized, not only by political elites and commentators but also by mass public opinion. The evidence also suggests that the institution which ought to be doing most to repair that deficit – the European Parliament – is not succeeding in the task. Only something between a quarter and one‐third of EC citizens have even a minimal understanding of its role, and tend to project on to it their conceptions of their own national legislatures. This factor, together with the persistently low levels of electoral turn‐out in European Parliament elections, indicates that the Parliament is not playing as large a role as it might in assisting the institutionalization of legitimacy.
Adrienne Heritier
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199298129
- eISBN:
- 9780191711633
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199298129.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
This book poses the question: how and why do institutions change? Institutions, understood as rules of behaviour constraining and facilitating social interaction, are subject to different forms and ...
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This book poses the question: how and why do institutions change? Institutions, understood as rules of behaviour constraining and facilitating social interaction, are subject to different forms and processes of change. A change may be designed intentionally on a large scale and then be followed by a period of only incremental adjustments to new conditions. But institutions may also emerge as informal rules, persist for a long time and only be formalized later. The causes, processes, and outcomes of institutional change raise a number of conceptual, theoretical, and empirical questions. While we know a lot about the creation of institutions, relatively little research has been conducted about their transformation once they have been put into place. Attention has focused on politically salient events of change, such as the Intergovernmental Conferences of Treaty reform. In focusing on such grand events, it is easy overlook inconspicuous changes in European institutional rules that are occurring on a daily basis. Thus, the European Parliament has gradually acquired a right of investing individual Commissioners. This has never been an issue in the negotiations of formal treaty revisions. Or, the decision-making rule(s) under which the European Parliament participates in the legislative process have drastically changed over the last decades starting from a modest consultation ending up with codecision. The book discusses various theories accounting for long-term institutional change, and explores them on the basis of five important institutional rules in the European Union. It proposes typical sequences of long-term institutional change and their theorization which hold for other contexts as well, if the number of actors and their goals are clearly defined, and interaction takes place under the ‘shadow of the future’.Less
This book poses the question: how and why do institutions change? Institutions, understood as rules of behaviour constraining and facilitating social interaction, are subject to different forms and processes of change. A change may be designed intentionally on a large scale and then be followed by a period of only incremental adjustments to new conditions. But institutions may also emerge as informal rules, persist for a long time and only be formalized later. The causes, processes, and outcomes of institutional change raise a number of conceptual, theoretical, and empirical questions. While we know a lot about the creation of institutions, relatively little research has been conducted about their transformation once they have been put into place. Attention has focused on politically salient events of change, such as the Intergovernmental Conferences of Treaty reform. In focusing on such grand events, it is easy overlook inconspicuous changes in European institutional rules that are occurring on a daily basis. Thus, the European Parliament has gradually acquired a right of investing individual Commissioners. This has never been an issue in the negotiations of formal treaty revisions. Or, the decision-making rule(s) under which the European Parliament participates in the legislative process have drastically changed over the last decades starting from a modest consultation ending up with codecision. The book discusses various theories accounting for long-term institutional change, and explores them on the basis of five important institutional rules in the European Union. It proposes typical sequences of long-term institutional change and their theorization which hold for other contexts as well, if the number of actors and their goals are clearly defined, and interaction takes place under the ‘shadow of the future’.
Mark A. Pollack
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199251179
- eISBN:
- 9780191600111
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199251177.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
European Union governments have delegated an ever‐expanding set of supervisory, budgetary and legislative powers to the European Parliament over the past five decades of European integration. Such ...
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European Union governments have delegated an ever‐expanding set of supervisory, budgetary and legislative powers to the European Parliament over the past five decades of European integration. Such delegation to the Parliament appears to be motivated not by the functional demands emphasized in principal‐agent approaches, but primarily by an ideological concern on the part of member governments, and their constituents, to enhance the democratic legitimacy of the European Union. A close examination of the patterns and process of delegation to the EP, however, suggests that member governments calculate the likely consequences of delegation to the EP, and refrain from delegating powers in areas where they perceive that the EP would move political outcomes away from their collective preferences.Less
European Union governments have delegated an ever‐expanding set of supervisory, budgetary and legislative powers to the European Parliament over the past five decades of European integration. Such delegation to the Parliament appears to be motivated not by the functional demands emphasized in principal‐agent approaches, but primarily by an ideological concern on the part of member governments, and their constituents, to enhance the democratic legitimacy of the European Union. A close examination of the patterns and process of delegation to the EP, however, suggests that member governments calculate the likely consequences of delegation to the EP, and refrain from delegating powers in areas where they perceive that the EP would move political outcomes away from their collective preferences.
Arthur Benz
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199252268
- eISBN:
- 9780191601040
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199252262.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
Chapter 5 applies the concept of compounded representation to analyse democracy in EU multi-level governance. From this analytical perspective it describes how different modes of democratic ...
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Chapter 5 applies the concept of compounded representation to analyse democracy in EU multi-level governance. From this analytical perspective it describes how different modes of democratic governance entrenched in national and European institutions, i.e. the European Parliament, the European Council and national parliaments, interfere. Based on a case study on the reform of the European structural funds, the author shows how actors tackle the problems caused by incompatible decision rules and evaluates the consequences for democracy in terms of efficiency, authentic interest representation and accountability. In this way, the chapter sheds new light on the often criticized ‘democratic deficit’ of the EU and presents proposals for its solution which lie in functional differentiation and ‘loose coupling’ of the above-mentioned representative institutions.Less
Chapter 5 applies the concept of compounded representation to analyse democracy in EU multi-level governance. From this analytical perspective it describes how different modes of democratic governance entrenched in national and European institutions, i.e. the European Parliament, the European Council and national parliaments, interfere. Based on a case study on the reform of the European structural funds, the author shows how actors tackle the problems caused by incompatible decision rules and evaluates the consequences for democracy in terms of efficiency, authentic interest representation and accountability. In this way, the chapter sheds new light on the often criticized ‘democratic deficit’ of the EU and presents proposals for its solution which lie in functional differentiation and ‘loose coupling’ of the above-mentioned representative institutions.
Jean Blondel, Richard Sinnott, and Palle Svensson
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198293088
- eISBN:
- 9780191598814
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198293089.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
Sets the context for this study of the relationship between people and parliament in the European Union and of the problem of participation in European Parliament elections by considering the meaning ...
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Sets the context for this study of the relationship between people and parliament in the European Union and of the problem of participation in European Parliament elections by considering the meaning of the concepts of democracy and legitimacy as applied to the supranational level of governance. It goes on to examine the second‐order‐election model and concludes that assessment of the value of the model—as an account of the relationship between the citizens and the European Parliament, and as an explanation of turnout in European Parliament elections—depends on the outcome of detailed empirical research on the perceptions and attitudes of European citizens. The chapter provides a very brief overview of the literature on turnout, emphasizing the need to pay attention to both contextual and individual‐level variables. Finally, the chapter deals with methodological aspects of the study and describes the main features of the survey (Eurobarometer 41.1 (1994)) on which the study is based.Less
Sets the context for this study of the relationship between people and parliament in the European Union and of the problem of participation in European Parliament elections by considering the meaning of the concepts of democracy and legitimacy as applied to the supranational level of governance. It goes on to examine the second‐order‐election model and concludes that assessment of the value of the model—as an account of the relationship between the citizens and the European Parliament, and as an explanation of turnout in European Parliament elections—depends on the outcome of detailed empirical research on the perceptions and attitudes of European citizens. The chapter provides a very brief overview of the literature on turnout, emphasizing the need to pay attention to both contextual and individual‐level variables. Finally, the chapter deals with methodological aspects of the study and describes the main features of the survey (Eurobarometer 41.1 (1994)) on which the study is based.
Jean Blondel, Richard Sinnott, and Palle Svensson
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198293088
- eISBN:
- 9780191598814
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198293089.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
Summarizes the findings presented in the preceding chapters. Interpretation of the implications of these findings focuses on the distinction between the facilitation and the mobilization of electoral ...
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Summarizes the findings presented in the preceding chapters. Interpretation of the implications of these findings focuses on the distinction between the facilitation and the mobilization of electoral participation, taking into account the different contexts created by different types of democratic governance and specifically by the type of governance embodied in the European Union. In terms of facilitating participation in European Parliament elections, the chapter concludes that turnout could be increased by addressing the problem of the day of the week on which voting takes place, the problems of registration and use of voting cards that arise in certain countries, and problems arising from the timing of the election in mid‐June. In terms of mobilizing participation in European elections, the book concludes that, rather than relying on the kind of transformational institutional change that would see European Parliament elections providing a mandate to govern Europe, what is needed is a series of piecemeal and specific approaches. Effective mobilization of voters in European Parliament elections will require painstaking efforts to inform European citizens and to persuade them of the value of the process of European governance and of the significance of the European‐level issues involved. Voter mobilization is enhanced by active exposure to the campaign but it will also require a strengthening of the image of the Parliament in the minds of the citizens and, through higher profile activity by MEPs during inter‐election periods, an improvement in people's perceptions of the capacity of the Parliament to look after the interests of the citizens.Less
Summarizes the findings presented in the preceding chapters. Interpretation of the implications of these findings focuses on the distinction between the facilitation and the mobilization of electoral participation, taking into account the different contexts created by different types of democratic governance and specifically by the type of governance embodied in the European Union. In terms of facilitating participation in European Parliament elections, the chapter concludes that turnout could be increased by addressing the problem of the day of the week on which voting takes place, the problems of registration and use of voting cards that arise in certain countries, and problems arising from the timing of the election in mid‐June. In terms of mobilizing participation in European elections, the book concludes that, rather than relying on the kind of transformational institutional change that would see European Parliament elections providing a mandate to govern Europe, what is needed is a series of piecemeal and specific approaches. Effective mobilization of voters in European Parliament elections will require painstaking efforts to inform European citizens and to persuade them of the value of the process of European governance and of the significance of the European‐level issues involved. Voter mobilization is enhanced by active exposure to the campaign but it will also require a strengthening of the image of the Parliament in the minds of the citizens and, through higher profile activity by MEPs during inter‐election periods, an improvement in people's perceptions of the capacity of the Parliament to look after the interests of the citizens.
Michael Shackleton
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199283958
- eISBN:
- 9780191603297
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199283958.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
The increasing power of the European Parliament has been one of the most steady and striking developments of Europe’s past several decades. Most analyses of the EP tend to see this process as moving ...
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The increasing power of the European Parliament has been one of the most steady and striking developments of Europe’s past several decades. Most analyses of the EP tend to see this process as moving the EU somewhat toward a model of parliamentary government, converging on the institutions prevalent in most European countries. But in fact, the EP now plays a role much more like an autonomous separation-of-powers legislature on the US model, and its future development is likely to move further in this direction.Less
The increasing power of the European Parliament has been one of the most steady and striking developments of Europe’s past several decades. Most analyses of the EP tend to see this process as moving the EU somewhat toward a model of parliamentary government, converging on the institutions prevalent in most European countries. But in fact, the EP now plays a role much more like an autonomous separation-of-powers legislature on the US model, and its future development is likely to move further in this direction.
Vernon Bogdanor
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198280354
- eISBN:
- 9780191599422
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198280351.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
General goodwill and opinion poll enthusiasm for the European Union, which are decreasing, have not translated into support in referendums or high turnouts in European elections that are not ...
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General goodwill and opinion poll enthusiasm for the European Union, which are decreasing, have not translated into support in referendums or high turnouts in European elections that are not transnational elections but national contests. The absence of a common European consciousness accords priority to the pursuit of national self‐interest. Despite its increasing role, the European Parliament, operating as a consensual legislature, cannot secure accountability of the European executives. The adoption of uniform electoral procedures to the European Parliament may contribute to public support for integration.Less
General goodwill and opinion poll enthusiasm for the European Union, which are decreasing, have not translated into support in referendums or high turnouts in European elections that are not transnational elections but national contests. The absence of a common European consciousness accords priority to the pursuit of national self‐interest. Despite its increasing role, the European Parliament, operating as a consensual legislature, cannot secure accountability of the European executives. The adoption of uniform electoral procedures to the European Parliament may contribute to public support for integration.
David Judge and David Earnshaw
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199535026
- eISBN:
- 9780191715860
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199535026.003.0014
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, European Union
Can the European Parliament (EP) provide a democratic leadership link with citizen followers? Because there is no EU government, the EU cannot be authorized by and accountable to the EP which has had ...
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Can the European Parliament (EP) provide a democratic leadership link with citizen followers? Because there is no EU government, the EU cannot be authorized by and accountable to the EP which has had to exercise leadership in three other ways. First, it acted as a visionary constitutional entrepreneur in preparing the draft Treaty of European Union and the abortive Constitutional Treaty. Second, the EP has held the Commission to account and influenced and legitimized its agenda through prior authorization. Third, the EP has contributed to policy leadership, notably in environment, water policy, and biotechnology. Nevertheless, the EP's past and likely future leadership role derives from the fact that as the only directly elected supranational institution, it can offer the prospect of participative followership.Less
Can the European Parliament (EP) provide a democratic leadership link with citizen followers? Because there is no EU government, the EU cannot be authorized by and accountable to the EP which has had to exercise leadership in three other ways. First, it acted as a visionary constitutional entrepreneur in preparing the draft Treaty of European Union and the abortive Constitutional Treaty. Second, the EP has held the Commission to account and influenced and legitimized its agenda through prior authorization. Third, the EP has contributed to policy leadership, notably in environment, water policy, and biotechnology. Nevertheless, the EP's past and likely future leadership role derives from the fact that as the only directly elected supranational institution, it can offer the prospect of participative followership.
Roger Scully
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199284320
- eISBN:
- 9780191603365
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199284326.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
This chapter establishes the context for the study. It first provides a historical overview of the development of the European Parliament, focussing particularly on the growth in the parliament’s ...
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This chapter establishes the context for the study. It first provides a historical overview of the development of the European Parliament, focussing particularly on the growth in the parliament’s powers. The discussion then moves on to examining the main features of the Parliament's internal organisation. The third section of the chapter draws on in-depth interviews conducted with a large number of MEPs, where politicians’ own views of the prevalence of socialisation effects within the EP were sought. While many believe that MEPs do become more European-minded in various senses, the final section of the chapter explains why one cannot rest content with this evidence. It argues that there is a need for further study both to consider the theoretical basis for any hypothesised socialisation effects, and to examine other empirical evidence to assess whether such effects are actually manifested.Less
This chapter establishes the context for the study. It first provides a historical overview of the development of the European Parliament, focussing particularly on the growth in the parliament’s powers. The discussion then moves on to examining the main features of the Parliament's internal organisation. The third section of the chapter draws on in-depth interviews conducted with a large number of MEPs, where politicians’ own views of the prevalence of socialisation effects within the EP were sought. While many believe that MEPs do become more European-minded in various senses, the final section of the chapter explains why one cannot rest content with this evidence. It argues that there is a need for further study both to consider the theoretical basis for any hypothesised socialisation effects, and to examine other empirical evidence to assess whether such effects are actually manifested.
Jean Blondel, Richard Sinnott, and Palle Svensson
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198293088
- eISBN:
- 9780191598814
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198293089.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
Presents the data on turnout in European Parliament elections and examines the evidence, derived from an open‐ended question in Eurobarometer 41.1, on the reasons abstainers give for not voting. ...
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Presents the data on turnout in European Parliament elections and examines the evidence, derived from an open‐ended question in Eurobarometer 41.1, on the reasons abstainers give for not voting. Based on this evidence, the chapter develops a distinction between circumstantial and voluntary abstention. The incidence of various sub‐types of each of these forms of abstention is considered. The chapter concludes by presenting a typology of participation/abstention in European Parliament elections that takes account of the distinction between circumstantial and voluntary abstention, and of whether individuals voted in the European Parliament election only or in the most recent national election only, in both, or in neither.Less
Presents the data on turnout in European Parliament elections and examines the evidence, derived from an open‐ended question in Eurobarometer 41.1, on the reasons abstainers give for not voting. Based on this evidence, the chapter develops a distinction between circumstantial and voluntary abstention. The incidence of various sub‐types of each of these forms of abstention is considered. The chapter concludes by presenting a typology of participation/abstention in European Parliament elections that takes account of the distinction between circumstantial and voluntary abstention, and of whether individuals voted in the European Parliament election only or in the most recent national election only, in both, or in neither.
Jean Blondel, Richard Sinnott, and Palle Svensson
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198293088
- eISBN:
- 9780191598814
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198293089.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
Takes up the question of the perceptions of, and attitudes to, parties and candidates in European and national elections. Measures of party differentials and candidate differentials are presented, ...
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Takes up the question of the perceptions of, and attitudes to, parties and candidates in European and national elections. Measures of party differentials and candidate differentials are presented, and the implications of the evidence for an assessment of the second‐order‐election model are examined. The chapter then deals with the citizens’ experience of the European Parliament election campaign of 1994, distinguishing between active and passive exposure to the campaign. The chapter concludes with an examination of the relationship between the variables considered and participation/abstention.Less
Takes up the question of the perceptions of, and attitudes to, parties and candidates in European and national elections. Measures of party differentials and candidate differentials are presented, and the implications of the evidence for an assessment of the second‐order‐election model are examined. The chapter then deals with the citizens’ experience of the European Parliament election campaign of 1994, distinguishing between active and passive exposure to the campaign. The chapter concludes with an examination of the relationship between the variables considered and participation/abstention.
Jean Blondel, Richard Sinnott, and Palle Svensson
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198293088
- eISBN:
- 9780191598814
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198293089.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
Examines the cross‐country variations in turnout in European Parliament elections and of variations in the variables associated with turnout. Countries are considered in three groups—high turnout, ...
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Examines the cross‐country variations in turnout in European Parliament elections and of variations in the variables associated with turnout. Countries are considered in three groups—high turnout, medium turnout, and low turnout countries. Within the groups defined, each of the 12 member states is considered separately, paying due attention to the national, institutional, cultural, and political context.Less
Examines the cross‐country variations in turnout in European Parliament elections and of variations in the variables associated with turnout. Countries are considered in three groups—high turnout, medium turnout, and low turnout countries. Within the groups defined, each of the 12 member states is considered separately, paying due attention to the national, institutional, cultural, and political context.
