The European Union Democratic Deficit and the Public Sphere

The European Union Democratic Deficit and the Public Sphere
Author: David Ward
Publisher: IOS Press
Total Pages: 164
Release: 2002
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9781586032814

An assessment of EU communications policy judged against democratic and normative criteria within the framework of the question of the need for a European-wide public sphere. It argues that the EU should proceed through the mass media, with a policy based on a public service philosophy.

The European Union and the Public Sphere

The European Union and the Public Sphere
Author: John Erik Fossum
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 327
Release: 2007-06-11
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1134174624

The European Union is often attacked for its ‘democratic deficit’, namely its deficiencies in representation, transparency, accountability and lack of popular support. This book assesses the possible formation of a communicative space that might enable and engender the creation of a transnational or a supranational public.

Democracy in the European Union

Democracy in the European Union
Author: Liana Giorgi
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2006-09-27
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 113422432X

An invaluable exploration of the concern that transfers of power to European Union institutions are producing a worrying new form of democratic deficit. While ongoing reforms of these institutions promise to render decision processes at European level more transparent and accountable, these expert authors examine whether there is a European public sphere for citizens and their representatives to discuss, deliberate and evaluate issues of public relevance. They show how the process of European integration has given rise to a new object of study – European society, and why key questions concerning identity, citizenship, democracy, government and institutions are being raised anew and are major political concerns at European and Member State level. With six case studies of EU policy-making and representative institutions, they analyze the intensity of participatory practices in four dimensions: mobilization of societal actors, public contestation and debate, openness of decision-making, and responsiveness of policy makers. This book will be of strong interest to students and researchers of the European Union, European politics, European studies as well as those concerned with more theoretical aspects of governance and the public sphere.

Debating the Democratic Legitimacy of the European Union

Debating the Democratic Legitimacy of the European Union
Author: Beate Kohler-Koch
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Total Pages: 403
Release: 2007-04-18
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 074257640X

The discussion about a constitution for the European Union and its rejection by referendum in two of the EU founding member states has once again spurred public and scholarly interest in the democratic quality and potential of the European Union. Debating the Democratic Legitimacy of the European Union brings together distinguished thinkers from law, political science, sociology, and political philosophy to explore the potential for democratically legitimate governance in the European Union. Drawing on different theoretical perspectives and strands from democratic theory, this volume is the first of its kind to overcome the present state of fragmentation in the debate about the conditions and possible remedies for what is often called the "democratic deficit" of the European Union. Among the pressing questions addressed by the contributors are: What future is there for parliamentary democracy in the European Union? Can we observe the evolution of a European public sphere and civil society? Can participatory democracy or deliberative democracy pave the road for a democratically legitimate European Union? Conversations about democracy have engaged the public in a new way since the beginning of the Iraq war, and this volume is the best resource for students and readers who are interested in democracy in the European Union. Contributions by: Rudy B. Andeweg, Katrin Auel, Arthur Benz, Lars-Erik Cederman, Damian Chalmers, Deirdre Curtin, Donatella Della Porta, Klaus Eder, Erik O. Eriksen, Ulrich Haltern, Hubert Heinelt, Doug Imig, Christian Joerges, Beate Kohler-Koch, Christopher Lord, Paul Magnette, Andreas Maurer, Jeremy Richardson, Berthold Rittberger, Rainer Schmalz-Bruns, Michael Th. Greven, Hans-Jörg Trenz, and Armin von Bogdandy

The Making of a European Public Sphere

The Making of a European Public Sphere
Author: Ruud Koopmans
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages:
Release: 2010-07-29
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1139490001

This book investigates an important source of the European Union's recent legitimacy problems. It shows how European integration is debated in mass media, and how this affects democratic inclusiveness. Advancing integration implies a shift in power between governments, parliaments, and civil society. Behind debates over Europe's 'democratic deficit' is a deeper concern: whether democratic politics can perform effectively under conditions of Europeanization and globalization. This study is based on a wealth of unique data from seven European countries, combining newspaper content analyses, an innovative study of Internet communication structures, and hundreds of interviews with leading political and media representatives across Europe. It is by far the most far-reaching and empirically grounded study on the Europeanization of media discourse and political contention to date, and a must-read for anyone interested in how European integration changes democratic politics and why European integration has become increasingly contested.

Mapping the European Public Sphere

Mapping the European Public Sphere
Author: Emanuela Bozzini
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2016-05-13
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1317100786

Mapping the European Public Sphere combines theoretical and empirical perspectives to address three relevant issues that are marking the European communicative landscape: the role of media and journalism in shaping the European debate, the function of public communication in promoting institutional activities, and the implications of processes of inclusion to and exclusion from the public sphere. The volume offers a timely reflection on the communicative arenas that are structuring the discourse on Europe and its future and provides a map of existing communicative spaces to provide a better understanding of the development of a European Public Sphere and to identify critical issues. Situated in a timely debate and providing well-grounded empirical evidence, the book will be particularly valuable to social scientists researching European integration issues. At the same time, the book is relevant to those actors who are studied in the research, in particular European institutions, media groups and NGOs.

The Handbook of European Communication History

The Handbook of European Communication History
Author: Klaus Arnold
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 520
Release: 2019-08-08
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1119161754

A groundbreaking handbook that takes a cross-national approach to the media history of Europe of the past 100 years The Handbook of European Communication History is a definitive and authoritative handbook that fills a gap in the literature to provide a coherent and chronological history of mass media, public communication and journalism in Europe from 1900 to the late 20th century. With contributions from teams of scholars and members of the European Communication Research and Education Association, the Handbook explores media innovations, major changes and developments in the media systems that affected public communication, as well as societies and culture. The contributors also examine the general trends of communication history and review debates related to media development. To ensure a transnational approach to the topic, the majority of chapters are written not by a single author but by international teams formed around one or more lead authors. The Handbook goes beyond national perspectives and provides a basis for more cross-national treatments of historical developments in the field of mediated communication. Indeed, this important Handbook: Offers fresh insights on the development of media alongside key differences between countries, regions, or media systems over the past century Takes a fresh, cross-national approach to European media history Contains contributions from leading international scholars in this rapidly evolving area of study Explores the major innovations, key developments, differing trends, and the important debates concerning the media in the European setting Written for students and academics of communication and media studies as well as media professionals, The Handbook of European Communication History covers European media from 1900 with the emergence of the popular press to the professionalization of journalists and the first wave of multimedia with the advent of film and radio broadcasting through the rapid growth of the Internet and digital media since the late 20th century.

The Making of a European Public Sphere

The Making of a European Public Sphere
Author: Ruud Koopmans
Publisher:
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2010
Genre: Europe
ISBN: 9780511908637

This book investigates an important source of the European Union's recent legitimacy problems. It shows how European integration is debated in mass media, and how this affects democratic inclusiveness. Advancing integration implies a shift in power between governments, parliaments, and civil society. Behind debates over Europe's 'democratic deficit' is a deeper concern: whether democratic politics can perform effectively under conditions of Europeanization and globalization. This study is based on a wealth of unique data from seven European countries, combining newspaper content analyses, an innovative study of Internet communication structures, and hundreds of interviews with leading political and media representatives across Europe. It is by far the most far-reaching and empirically grounded study on the Europeanization of media discourse and political contention to date, and a must-read for anyone interested in how European integration changes democratic politics and why European integration has become increasingly contested--

European E-Democracy in Practice

European E-Democracy in Practice
Author: Leonhard Hennen
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 359
Release: 2019-11-06
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3030271846

This open access book explores how digital tools and social media technologies can contribute to better participation and involvement of EU citizens in European politics. By analyzing selected representative e-participation projects at the local, national and European governmental levels, it identifies the preconditions, best practices and shortcomings of e-participation practices in connection with EU decision-making procedures and institutions. The book features case studies on parliamentary monitoring, e-voting practices, and e-publics, and offers recommendations for improving the integration of e-democracy in European politics and governance. Accordingly, it will appeal to scholars as well as practitioners interested in identifying suitable e-participation tools for European institutions and thus helps to reduce the EU’s current democratic deficit. This book is a continuation of the book “Electronic Democracy in Europe” published by Springer.