Political Theory of the European Union

This book was borne out of the perceived theoretical deficit which evolved alongside the dispersion of integration studies into two strands that increasingly seemed to lose touch with one another. A political science and comparative government oriented strand studied the European Union (EU) predominantly as a political system in its own right. In turn, the International Relations strand kept working with the EU as another international organisation. All the whilethe development of constitutional quality of this non-state polity progressed. The debate about the 'Constitutional Treaty' raised the yardstick of theoretical discussion and challenged the capacity to grasp the normative change of this non-state polity. Despite the eventual contestation of the EU's'constitutional turn' through the French and Dutch no-votes in 2004 and the cumbersome procedure of ratifying the Lisbon Treaty in their aftermath, notably, debates about the EU's constitutional quality did not cease. At the same time, the lawyers had been engaging more directly in debates that were crossing sub-disciplinary lines. In light of these changes, the editors felt that it was about time to work on a more decisively interdisciplinary theoretical approach to studying the EU within thewider world political context. The result is A Political Theory of the European Union which brings together Political Theory, International Relations Theory, European Integration Studies, Comparative Government, International Law as well as European Law. It does not aim to be a complete theory.Rather, it is a theoretical approach or, even more modestly, an effort to prove the analytical strength of combining different stands of political and legal theory. Thus, the book's purpose would be fully served if the approach were to inspire others to engage with the central tenets of political authority and world order, sovereignty and constitutional change and democracy and justice, taking the approach in-the-making further.

Jurgen Neyer was appointed to the Chair of Political Science at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) in April 2006 where he is currently also Managing Director of the Frankfurt Institute for Transformation Studies. Before coming to Frankfurt he was a Professor of International Relations at the Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe University of Frankfurt (Main) (2005-06) and the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich (2004). He obtained his Habilitation at the University of Bremen in 2002 and his PhD in Political Science at the Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe University in 1996. He has done research at various universities including the University of California at Berkeley, the Free University of Berlin and the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.

Antje Wiener was appointed to the Chair of Political Science and Global Governance at the University of Hamburg in April 2009 where she is currently also Managing Director of the Centre for Globalisation and Governance. Before coming to Hamburg she was a Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Bath (2007-09) and a Professor of International Studies at the Queen's University of Belfast where she had worked since 1999. She obtained her PhD in Political Science at Carleton University, Canada in 1996, and an MA in Political Science at the Free University of Berlin in 1989, and has taught at various universities including Stanford University, Sussex University, Carleton University, and the Free University of Berlin. She has held visiting fellowships at the Science Centre for Social Research in Berlin and at the Hanse Institute for Advanced Studies in Delmenhorst, Germany.