The Legitimacy of Regional Integration in Europe and the Americas

This edited volume brings together cutting-edge empirical research on the legitimacy of regional integration processes in Europe and the Americas. Across fourteen chapters, specialists of regionalism in Europe, North America and South America demonstrate that the societal legitimacy of regional governance deserves attention because it affects the development  - and relative success  - of regional integration projects such as the EU, NAFTA and MERCOSUR. Employing a mixed-method perspective, the contributors to this volume examine public opinion, political discourse and civil society mobilization surrounding regional institutions, identifying distinct legitimation patterns in each of the three world regions. In doing so, they demonstrate that comparative research on the legitimation of regional governance advances our understanding of the driving forces, obstacles and trajectories of regional integration more generally.

Achim Hurrelmann is Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (EURUS) at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. His research focuses on the politicization and legitimation of regional and global governance, especially in the European Union.

Steffen Schneider is a Senior Research Fellow of the Centre for Social Policy Research, University of Bremen, Germany. His research interests are in comparative government and policy analysis. Publications include Democracy's Deep Roots: Why the Nation State Remains Legitimate (Palgrave Macmillan 2010, with Achim Hurrelmann et al.).

1. Understanding the Legitimacy of Regional Integration: A Comparative and Mixed-Method Perspective; Steffen Schneider; Achim Hurrelmann
PART I. POLITICIZATION AND LEGITIMATION TRENDS IN EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN REGIONALISM
2. The Politicization of European Integration: Towards Democratic Renationalization?; Pieter de Wilde
3. Legitimacy, Politicization and Regional Integration in North America; Brian Bow
4. Politicization and Legitimacy in MERCOSUR; Andrea Ribeiro Hoffmann
PART II. REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND PUBLIC OPINION
5. Is There a Legitimacy Crisis in the European Union?; Dieter Fuchs; Romy Escher
6. Identity and Public Support for North American Integration; Constantine Boussalis; Jennifer Merolla; Caryn Peiffer
7. Economic Evaluations and Support for Free Trade in Latin America and the Caribbean; Daniel Zizumbo-Colunga; Mitchell A. Seligson
PART III. REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND PUBLIC DISCOURSES
8. Citizens' Legitimation Discourses on European Integration; Virginie Van Ingelgom
9. Is North American Regionalism Less Politicized than European Integration? Evidence from Focus Groups; Achim Hurrelmann; Steffen Schneider
10. Public (De-)Legitimation of Regionalism in North and South America: NAFTA and MERCOSUR in the US and Brazilian Quality Press; Steffen Schneider
PART IV. THE CONTENTIOUS POLITICS OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION
11. Subnational Movements and the Politicization of NAFTA and the EU; Francesco Duina; Jared Bok
12. What the NAFTA Fight Teaches about Trade Policy Politicization and Legitimation; Ian Robinson
13. The Social Turn and Contentious Politics in Latin American Post-neoliberal Regionalism; Pia Riggirozzi
PART V. CONCLUSION
14. The Contested Legitimacy of Regional Integration; Achim Hurrelmann; Steffen Schneider