The Responsive Union
National Elections and European Governance
Published on 1. November 2018
Book
Hardback
360 pages
978-1-108-47231-9 (ISBN)
Description
The EU faces a serious crisis of democratic legitimacy. Citizens believe that the EU is run by distant and non-responsive political elites. The EU's perceived lack of responsiveness to ordinary citizens poses a threat to its very survival. This timely book presents a comprehensive account of how EU governments signal responsiveness to the interests of their citizens over European policies. Schneider develops and tests a theoretical framework of the intergovernmental dimension of responsive governance in the European Union, using evidence amassed over nearly ten years of multi-method research. The findings show that European cooperation in the Council of the European Union takes place in the shadow of national elections. Governments signal responsiveness to their publics by taking positions that are in the interests of politically relevant voters at the national level, defending these positions throughout negotiations in the Council, and seeking appropriate policy outcomes at the EU level.
Reviews / Votes
'Christina J. Schneider's book challenges two widely held ideas about how the EU works. Against the standard 'democratic deficit' claim, the book shows how governments are increasingly responsive to their citizens when acting at the European level. And, against the Liberal Intergovermentalist theory of EU politics, the book challenges the assumption that European level issues are not salient enough to warrant significant domestic contestation. As such, the book is a major contribution to how the EU should be understand going forward.' Simon Hix, Harold Laski Professor of Political Science, and Academic Director at the London School of Economics and Political Science 'Christina J. Schneider bridges the explanatory gap between national elections and EU governance in a theoretically convincing and methodologically sophisticated way. Responsive Union is a milestone in the study of European politics.' Frank Schimmelfennig, Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule Zuerich 'Schneider's argument is impressive in terms of both the simplicity of her message and the sophistication of her data collection and analysis. Her book is sure to become a touchstone in debates about Europe's 'democratic deficit'.' Erik Jones, SurvivalMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
675 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-47231-9 (9781108472319)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
11/2018
Cambridge University Press
€73.99
Available for download
E-Book
10/2018
Cambridge University Press
€88.99
Available for download
Person
Christina J. Schneider is Associate Professor and Jean Monnet Chair of the EU at the University of California, San Diego. Professor Schneider previously published Conflict, Negotiation and European Union Enlargement (Cambridge, 2009). Her articles appear in the American Journal of Political Science, British Journal of Political Science, International Organization, and International Studies Quarterly, among others.
Content
1. Responsive governance in the European Union; 2. The politicization of European cooperation; 3. Signals of responsiveness - a theory; 4. The EU-aware voter; 5. The EU budget: financially trivial, politically substantial; 6. Triumph and agony in the 2007-13 MFF negotiations; 7. The legislative leviathan marionette; 8. The waiting game: apres les elections, le deluge; 9. When the music stops: the German politics of the Greek; 10. The European republic; References; Index.