Download or read book Perspectives of National Elites on European Citizenship written by Nicolò Conti and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-04-10 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the last two decades, the process of European integration has become interwoven with the theme of citizenship and the debate on the democratic quality of the EU and of its institutions has become more salient. What are the views about Europe which emerge when we interrogate the national elites of the four large South European countries, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and what is their vision of a supra-national citizenship in its different facets? Are these views sufficiently homogeneous and do they distinguish themselves from those of the rest of the European Union to the point of enabling us to talk about a "distinctive region of Europe"? Which interpretation(s) of European citizenship emerges from a systematic exploration of these opinions? Using a set of survey and textual data collected in the framework of the IntUne project, the authors attempt to provide some original answers to these questions. This book was published as a special issue of South European Society and Politics.

Download or read book The Europe of Elites written by Heinrich Best and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2012-03-29 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Europe of Elites is the first comprehensive study of how European political and economic leaders think and feel about Europe and about what course future European integration should take.

Download or read book Political Elites in the Transatlantic Crisis written by H. Best and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-03-11 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beliefs held by US and European elites about unregulated markets and a currency union without fiscal union led to a transatlantic crisis unmatched in severity since the Great Depression. Leading scholars of elites analyze how elites have responded to the crisis, are altered by it and what this 'hour of elites' means for democracy.

Download or read book National Political Elites European Integration and the Eurozone Crisis written by Nicolò Conti and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-06-18 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The global financial, economic and sovereign debt crisis since 2008 has led to increases in political disaffection among citizens, a loss of legitimacy of political institutions, the discredit of mainstream parties and the rise of extremist or anti-system political alternatives. This comparative volume sheds greater light on this critical juncture in the recent history of the European Union (EU) by focusing on the evolution of attitudes of national political elites. It examines whether the crisis has affected the legitimacy of the EU integration project as perceived by national political elites and, consequently, if the elite consensus that constituted one of the most solid fundamentals supporting that project has been eroded. Analysing these changes across the different dimensions in which support for the EU is organized and its relationship with the evolution of support towards European integration among citizens in member states, the book addresses a basic question: How have these events affected the perceptions of the EU of national political elites? Ultimately, it sheds light on the evolution of the relationship between the perception of the EU and the national contexts, as well as the likely evolution of the project of European integration in the near future. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of political elites, EU politics, European integration, political parties, and more broadly to comparative politics, European studies and sociology.

Download or read book Elite Recruitment and Coherence of the Inner Core of Power in Finland written by Ilkka Ruostetsaari and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2015-07-01 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book outlines the approaches of classical elite theory and democratic elitism for the study of national power structures. The book displays different research methods for elite study as well as the power conceptions included within these methods. An elite structure typology is derived from the elite theory and applied to chart the changes in the elite structure of one country, Finland. The data of this work is unique in international comparison: postal surveys were conducted among the elites and the citizenry in 1991, 2001, and 2011. The study explores empirically the changes occurring in the elite structure from the early 1990s to the present day¾a period that has been characterized by important societal upheavals, such as the great recession of the early 1990s, Finland’s accession to the European Union in 1995, and the international financial crisis and the Eurozone debt crisis in the 2000s. The main focus is on how the elite structure has changed in terms of vertical social mobility (i.e., openness) on the one hand and horizontal mobility (i.e., coherence) on the other. With regard to vertical social mobility, the research interest focuses on changes in elites’ social background and various factors advancing their recruitment and career into elite positions. As for horizontal mobility, the study focuses on the elites’ different channels of contact with other influential groups in society, networking with various societal institutions, the attitudinal unanimity within various elites and between the elites and the citizenry, mobility between different elite groups (i.e. circulation), the accumulation of power positions, and the retention and loss of elite positions. The findings are compared with previous international studies, especially Scandinavian elite studies. Finally, the study considers what the results tell us about the state of democracy.

Download or read book Euroscepticism within the EU Institutions written by Nathalie Brack and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-10-09 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since its origins, there have been competing views concerning the nature, scope and objectives of the process of integration and of the European Union. Attitudes towards Europe and European integration, both among political elites and citizens, have been much studied over the last 15 years. But there is no comprehensive analysis of these competing views of Europe at the supranational level. The existence of radically diverging views on the European political system within the EU’s own institutions is problematic at both theoretical and practical levels. Little is known, however, about this phenomenon, its impact on the EU’s agenda and policy-making as well as on constitutional reform. This book aims therefore at investigating the divergence in views about the European Union in order to lend insight into its consequences for the functioning of the EU and its institutions. It will focus on the main EU institutions, i.e. the Council, Commission, Parliament and Court but will also deal with the visions of various European elites on the EU. This book was originally published as a special issue of Journal of European Integration.

Download or read book Routledge Handbook of European Politics written by José M. Magone and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-12-17 with total page 1275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the Treaty of the European Union was ratified in 1993, the European Union has become an important factor in an ever-increasing number of regimes of pooled sovereignty. This Handbook seeks to present a valuable guide to this new and unique system in the twenty-first century, allowing readers to obtain a better understanding of the emerging multilevel European governance system that links national polities to Europe and the global community. Adopting a pan-European approach, this Handbook brings together the work of leading international academics to cover a wide range of topics such as: the historical and theoretical background the political systems and institutions of both the EU and its individual member nations political parties and party systems political elites civil society and social movements in European politics the political economy of Europe public administration and policy-making external policies of the EU. This is an invaluable and comprehensive resource for students, scholars, researchers and practitioners of the European Union, European politics and comparative politics.

Download or read book Global Power Europe Vol 1 written by Astrid Boening and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-28 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This two-volume project provides a multi-sectoral perspective over the EU's external projections from traditional as well as critical theoretical and institutional perspectives, and is supported by numerous case studies covering the whole extent of the EU’s external relations. The aim is to strive to present new approaches as well as detailed background studies in analyzing the EU as a global actor. Volume 1: The first volume “Theoretical and Institutional Approaches to the EU’s External Relations” addresses the EU's overall external post-Lisbon Treaty presence both globally and regionally (e.g. in its "neighborhood"), with a special emphasis on the EU’s institutional framework. It also offers fresh and innovative theoretical approaches to understanding the EU’s international position. - With a preface by Alvaro de Vasoncelos (former Director European Union Institute for Security Studies) Volume 2: The second volume “Policies, Actions and Influence of the EU’s External Relations”, examines in both quantitative and qualitative contributions the EU's international efficacy from a political, economic and social perspective based on a plethora of its engagements.

Download or read book Political Representation in Times of Bailout written by André Freire and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-10-02 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since 2008 many European states have experienced significant challenges in adapting to austerity, and political actors within these states have made significant changes in their discourses and practices. This book explores the short-term impact of the sovereign debt crisis on aspects of political representation in Greece and Portugal, two of the countries that have been the most severely affected. It provides the most systematic examination to date of the attitudinal change of voters and elites regarding participation and representation, and of the legitimacy of the political system in two of the bailed-out Eurozone states. By examining the congruence between elites and voters, the shift in the patterns of competition, and the position of both citizens and representatives on the main issues, the studies contribute towards a reassessment of the validity of the responsible party model and of theories about democratic accountability. By relying on original mass and elite surveys conducted both before and after the bailouts, the volume helps us understand how the EU/IMF intervention has affected partisan alignments in Greece and Portugal, as well as the differences and similarities in the way political elites and civil society have adapted to severe austerity. This book was originally published as a special issue of South European Society & Politics.

Download or read book Elites and People written by Fredrik Engelstad and published by Emerald Group Publishing. This book was released on 2019-10-07 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume contains an Open Access chapter. The present volume of Comparative Social Research offers a broad set of comparative studies of elites, stretching from the Arab Spring in Tunisia and Egypt to women's political leadership in Brazil and Germany, via attainment of elite positions among minorities in France and the US.

Download or read book The Contested Status of Political Elites written by Lars Vogel and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-07-17 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contemporary Western societies are witnessing ground-breaking social, economic and political changes at an accelerating pace. These changes are challenging the way democracy works and the role that political elites play in this system of government. Using a theoretical and empirical approach, this volume argues that political elites are urged to develop new strategies in order to achieve interest aggregation, to safeguard collective action, and to maintain elite autonomy and stability. The adaptive capacities of political elites are assessed through case studies, comparative and longitudinal analyses of their social structure, their recruitment patterns, and their attitudes. The book includes contributions from reputable scholars in the field of elite research and specialists on individual political systems across Europe and the US. It provides an analytical framework demonstrating that political elites are inevitable and potentially able to respond successfully to varying challenges. The book will be of key interest to scholars and students of political elites, democracy, comparative politics, political participation and European Politics.

Download or read book Dictionary of European actors written by Elisabeth Lambert Abdelgawad and published by Primento. This book was released on 2015-04-07 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If the European political space has been extensively explored, research has remained all too often focused on the institutions of the European Union and the Council of Europe rather than on the actors who make Europe. This dictionary brings a new angle to scholarship on Europe by systematically investigating its actors: those who work within the institutions or in close contact with them; those who are the targets of European policies; those in the name of whom reforms are carried out; those who promote Europe and those who oppose it. It showcases a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach that bridges the usual separation between the European Union and the Council of Europe. In each entry, contributors selected among the leading specialists in their fields of research present the state of the art and the most current research perspectives on European actors. Students, teachers and researchers with an interest in Europe will find this volume to be a valuable work of reference and a source of new and stimulating ideas and perspectives on Europe. More broadly, the dictionary will appeal to ‘professionals of Europe’ eager to gain insights into their working environment as well as to readers interested in understanding Europe through its actors.

Download or read book Democracy and Democratization written by John D Nagle and published by SAGE. This book was released on 1999-05-26 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This wide-ranging overview of the processes of democratization in post-Communist Europe, places the transitions in East-Central Europe within a broad European and global context. The authors begin with a introduction to the concept and theories of democracy and then examine the emerging politics of the new democracies to set the post-Communist transitions in longer-term comparative perspective with earlier and existing processes of democratization in Southern Europe, Latin America, and East and Southeast Asia. Finally the politics of EU accession are introduced to place the transitions within the wider context of European integration. Concluding with a summary of recent critiques of modern democracy and looking toward future theories, this text provides a comprehensive introduction to what will remain the key contemporary issue for all students of political science.

Download or read book Integration Diversity and the Making of a European Public Sphere written by Hakan G. Sicakkan and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2016-11-25 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on an extended agonistic pluralism perspective, this book offers a novel notion of a transnational public sphere that goes beyond the questions of whether a European public sphere exists or is possible and instead provides a solid understanding of its key features.

Download or read book Citizens of Nowhere written by Lorenzo Marsili and published by Zed Books Ltd.. This book was released on 2018-05-15 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Europe might appear like a continent pulling itself apart. Ten years of economic and political crises have pitted North versus South, East versus West, citizens versus institutions. And yet, these years have also shown a hidden vitality of Europeans acting across borders, with civil society and social movements showing that alternatives to the status quo already exist. This book is at once a narrative of the experience of activism and a manifesto for change. Through analysing the ways in which neoliberalism, nationalism and borders intertwine, Marsili and Milanese – co-founders of European Alternatives – argue that we are in the middle of a great global transformation, by which we have all become citizens of nowhere. Ultimately, they argue that only by organising in a new transnational political party will the citizens of nowhere be able to struggle effectively for the utopian agency to transform the world.

Download or read book Perceptions of the European Union in New Member States written by Gabriella Ilonszki and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-10-31 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book explores the views of elites alongside those of the wider population in the European Union. The chapters place the new member states – and the potential candidate Serbia – on the map of Europe in this context for the first time. The volume's comparative method goes beyond the standard old member states versus new member states divide. It assesses regional differences within Central Europe and evaluates the problem of European and national identity formation, perception of external threats to the EU (including Russia), differences between economic and political elite views about the integration process and the connection between national performance and public opinion about Europe. Even though, in each country, positive views are dominant about the integration process, heterogeneous views prevail behind the image of a unifying Europe. The book’s major contribution is that it makes the new member states more visible and provides hard evidence while remaining theoretically driven. Furthermore, it covers the most important topics that emerge in studies concerning European integration. The book is intended for those interested in European integration in general but Central and Eastern European comparativists will find it particularly useful. This book was published as a special issue of Europe-Asia Studies.

Download or read book Birthright Citizens written by Martha S. Jones and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-06-28 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explains the origins of the Fourteenth Amendment's birthright citizenship provision, as a story of black Americans' pre-Civil War claims to belonging.