Individualism: an essay on the authority of the European Union

Abstract:
This book provides an original contribution to the theoretical debate surrounding the legitimacy of the European Union. It presents a powerful alternative understanding of the authority of international institutions, arguing against rational choice theory, and argues for a fresh understanding of European citizenship, drawing on insights from classical political philosophy.

This innovative study examines the authority constituting the European Union. It claims that the type of power constituting a transnational regime transcends traditional forms of constitutional legality. It argues that the European constitutional project is out of step with the normative make-up of such a regime. It is to be feared, indeed, that the adoption of a Constitution for Europe would create a smokescreen obscuring a new and disturbing reality.

Drawing on the ancient tradition of linking different types of political power with the composition of the citizen's soul, the book explains that a transnational regime is based on an understanding of citizenship that is different from that underlying a constitutional democracy. Citizens are deemed to be essentially separate from one another. They abandon the larger society to itself and pursue their good in the private sphere. In place of trust and reliance in their own power to bring about change through common action, they hope to benefit from entrusting "problem-solving" to international networks of expertise. Essentially, citizens of this kind exhibit a strong commitment to individualism.

The book shows how individualism is reflected in the regulatory authority that the Union claims for itself, in particular as regards the regulation of the internal market.

Contents:
1. Power and its Subjects
2. Social Visions and the Normative Basis of Risks
3. The Malodorous Vice
4. Exploring the Normative Question
5. Good News for the Bad Habit
6. Market Holism Constructed
7. The Twilight of Constitutional Law
8. Rational Deference and the Emergence of Social Power
9. European Citizenship
10. Three Types of Normativity
11. The Inexpensive Caring State
12. The Deep Past