Europe in Search of Political Order An Institutional Perspective on Unity/Diversity, Citizens/Their Helpers, Democratic Design/Historical Drift and the Co-existence of Orders

This book deals with ongoing processes of European cooperation and integration, processes that may have a potential to change the political organization of Europe. Based on ideas from 'the new institutionalism' the book offers a systematic perspective on institutional change and in particularthe role of institutions in relation to four central and durable issues in the study of political life. These are: (1) the mediation between unity and diversity: what ties a society together and what keeps it apart. (2) The relations between citizens and their helpers: why the democratic deficit inthe European Union can not be eliminated solely by making mechanisms of direct citizens participation and representation more efficient. Needed are also institutions that make direct participation redundant because they routinely work with integrity, generating expected and desired outcomes. (3) Therelation between democratic design and historical drift: To what degree democracies are able to design and reform key institutions of governance so that their structures reflect popular will, understanding and control. (4) The co-existence of old and new political orders: How elements of a new ordermay supplement rather than replace elements of the old order, generating a 'mixed order' based on partly inconsistent principles and rules.

Johan P. Olsen (b. 14 August 1939 in Tromso, Norway) is professor in political science and Director of Research at the Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo. Either alone or in collaboration with colleagues, he has written or edited 19 books and written more than 100 book chapters and articles, many of them in leading international journals. Together with James G. March and Michael D. Cohen he developed the 'garbage can'-model of organizational decision making, and together with March he launched the concept of 'new institutionalism' in the mid 1980s. He received the American Political Science Association's John Gaus Award for his life-long contribution to public administration and political science