Democracy in the European Union: Integration through deliberation?

Book abstract:

In recent years the phrase 'democratic deficit' has been widely used in connection with the European Union. Many people have questioned whether it is possible for democracy to be applied to decision-making bodies beyond the nation-state. In 'Democracy in the European Union' the issue of democracy at the supranational level is addressed by major writers, such as Bellamy, Habermas, Joerges and Schlesinger.

The book asks how the type of co-operation upon which the EU is based can be best explained, what the integrative forces in the EU are and how integration at a supranational level can be brought about. The book highlights how one's conception of democracy influences how we understand the democratic deficit and maintains that the type of entity that the EU is must be considered in the question of the democratic deficit. Therefore, the book adopts a theoretical approach to democracy that allows us to assess the prospects for democracy at a supranational level.

The contributors to this volume emphasise the need for new explanatory categories associated with deliberation, such as the term 'deliberative supranationalism' in order to understand the relatively new phenomenon of integration beyond the nation state.

This book will be useful for students of politics, European studies and democratic studies who are interested in the debate about democracy and the European Union.