Solving the EU's democratic deficit through direct democratic veto rights? A critical assessment of Heidrun Abromeit's concept

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science
Cover of the book Solving the EU's democratic deficit through direct democratic veto rights? A critical assessment of Heidrun Abromeit's concept by Lutz Weischer, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lutz Weischer ISBN: 9783638740203
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: June 17, 2007
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Lutz Weischer
ISBN: 9783638740203
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: June 17, 2007
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: 2,0, Free University of Berlin (Otto-Suhr-Institut für Politikwissenschaft), course: Proseminar 'Constitutionalism, Federalism and Democracy in the European Union', 11 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: At a time of enlargement and public discussion about the European Union's proposed constitutional treaty, there is a growing concern about the democratic legitimacy of the union's institutions and decisions. In fact, most scholars agree that there is a democratic deficit in the European Union Some possible solutions are widely debated, especially a strengthening of the European Parliament.Heidrun Abromeit, a German political scientist, has proposed a solution that is different. Based on specific theoretical assumptions about democracy and the democratic deficit, she has developed the model of 'regional and sectoral direct-democratic veto rights' In this paper, I will present and asses this model. This critical assessment will have to be twofold: In a first step, the assessment has to consider the model itself: Are the model and the assumptions it is based on theoretically convincing or are there inherent contradictions? The second step, then, will be to check whether the model is the right solution for the present situation, i.e. the actual democratic deficit of the European Union. Would it overcome the democratic deficit? The answers in this second step have to be based on a coherent concept which defines democracy, explains what democracy on the European level should look like and what are the reasons for the present deficit. As I mentioned before, there a numerous concepts on this matter which are partly contradictory. Obviously, I cannot develop my own coherent concept of European democracy in this short paper. I will therefore base my judgement on the concept developed by Fritz W. Scharpf. I have chosen Scharpf's ideas as a point of reference because - thanks to the notions of input and output legitimacy - he has developed a concept that is differentiated enough to deal with the complex issues of the European integration process. Methodologically, an important part of this paper will therefore be based on a comparison between Abromeit and Scharpf. This implies that the paper will not come to a definitive conclusion on the appropriateness of Abromeit's ideas but will only show how Abromeit's ideas can be judged if one accepts Scharpf's perspective. My hypothesis is that, from this perspective, Abromeit does not present an appropriate solution to the democratic deficit because a)her model focuses too much on input legitimacy and b)her model favours negative integration and renders positive integration increasingly difficult.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: 2,0, Free University of Berlin (Otto-Suhr-Institut für Politikwissenschaft), course: Proseminar 'Constitutionalism, Federalism and Democracy in the European Union', 11 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: At a time of enlargement and public discussion about the European Union's proposed constitutional treaty, there is a growing concern about the democratic legitimacy of the union's institutions and decisions. In fact, most scholars agree that there is a democratic deficit in the European Union Some possible solutions are widely debated, especially a strengthening of the European Parliament.Heidrun Abromeit, a German political scientist, has proposed a solution that is different. Based on specific theoretical assumptions about democracy and the democratic deficit, she has developed the model of 'regional and sectoral direct-democratic veto rights' In this paper, I will present and asses this model. This critical assessment will have to be twofold: In a first step, the assessment has to consider the model itself: Are the model and the assumptions it is based on theoretically convincing or are there inherent contradictions? The second step, then, will be to check whether the model is the right solution for the present situation, i.e. the actual democratic deficit of the European Union. Would it overcome the democratic deficit? The answers in this second step have to be based on a coherent concept which defines democracy, explains what democracy on the European level should look like and what are the reasons for the present deficit. As I mentioned before, there a numerous concepts on this matter which are partly contradictory. Obviously, I cannot develop my own coherent concept of European democracy in this short paper. I will therefore base my judgement on the concept developed by Fritz W. Scharpf. I have chosen Scharpf's ideas as a point of reference because - thanks to the notions of input and output legitimacy - he has developed a concept that is differentiated enough to deal with the complex issues of the European integration process. Methodologically, an important part of this paper will therefore be based on a comparison between Abromeit and Scharpf. This implies that the paper will not come to a definitive conclusion on the appropriateness of Abromeit's ideas but will only show how Abromeit's ideas can be judged if one accepts Scharpf's perspective. My hypothesis is that, from this perspective, Abromeit does not present an appropriate solution to the democratic deficit because a)her model focuses too much on input legitimacy and b)her model favours negative integration and renders positive integration increasingly difficult.

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book Dewey versus Illich: Alternative Educational Utopias. by Lutz Weischer
Cover of the book Environmental Auditing by Lutz Weischer
Cover of the book Chris Ryan Firefight - Spezialgebiet, Inhaltsübersicht by Lutz Weischer
Cover of the book The Significance of Branding within the German Beer Culture by Lutz Weischer
Cover of the book How do motivation and leadership affect the corporate culture of multinational firms? by Lutz Weischer
Cover of the book The Distribution Network of Volvo Cars Customer Service (VCCS) by Lutz Weischer
Cover of the book From 'Separate but equal' to 'Total equality'? by Lutz Weischer
Cover of the book Hegemony - The idea of hegemony, and in this context the role of America in the modern world. by Lutz Weischer
Cover of the book A Comprehensive Overview of Criteria Defining a Third-World-Country and an Exemplification of the Development of AIDS in the Sub-Saharan African State of Zambia by Lutz Weischer
Cover of the book Hemingway and Stein. Gertrude Stein's Influence on Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls by Lutz Weischer
Cover of the book The Impact of the FIFA WC on South African Tourism by Lutz Weischer
Cover of the book The Treatment of Landscapes and Cityscapes in Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Innocents Abroad: Natural and Cultural Spaces in the Old and the New World by Lutz Weischer
Cover of the book Einführung einer vollständig personalisierten Verhältniswahl by Lutz Weischer
Cover of the book The influence of change management practices on the implementation of Compliance Management Systems in companies by Lutz Weischer
Cover of the book Two Examples of Hubris - Hawthorne's Short Stories 'Rappaccini's Daughter' and 'The Birthmark' by Lutz Weischer
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy