Democracy in Europe

This book calls for a philosophical consideration of the development, challenges and successes of the European Union. The author argues that conceptual innovation is essential if progress on the European project is to be made; new meanings, rather than financial or institutional engineering solutions, will help solve the crisis. By applying a philosophical approach to diagnosing the EU crisis, the book reconsiders the basic concepts of democracy in the context of the complex reality of the EU and the globalised world where profound social and political changes are taking place. It will be of interest to students and scholars interested in EU politics, political theory and philosophy.

Offers a comprehensive and timely consideration of the successes, failures and potential of the European project Provides a philosophical discussion of the EU, with a focus on Habermas's notion of democracy Argues that the complexity of Europeanisation has a democratic potential which needs to be spelled out analytically and used politically

Autorentext

Daniel Innerarity is Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of the Basque Country and the Ikerbasque Foundation for Science, Spain, and Professor in the School of Transnational Governance, European University Institute of Florence, Italy.

Inhalt

1. Introduction: Understanding European Complexity.- Part 1: Legitimacy Problems in Europe.- 2. Deficit of What? A Typology of the Legitimacy Problems in the EU.- 3. Whose Deficit? The European Democracy and its Democracies.- Part 2: The Complexity of the European Democracy.- 4. What Should Be Democratised? The Peculiarity of Democracy in Europe.- 5. Who Are We? A Democracy Without Demos.- 6. On Behalf of Whom? The Multiple Representation of Europeans.- 7. What's New? The Political Innovation of the European Union.- Part 3: A Truly Common Europe.- 8. In Whose Benefit? The European Construction of the Common.- 9. How Much Social? The European Deficit of Justice.- 10. Who Decides? Transnational Self-Determination.- 11. Conclusion: What Can We Hope? The European Promises after Its Crisis. <p