Rethinking Democracy and the European Union

Rethinking Democracy and the European Union looks at both the concept of the EU as a political system, and what type of democracy operates within that system. Even with the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, the EU continues to represent a challenge for politicians and decision-makers, as well as for political and democratic theorists. Chapters by leading scholars and practitioners from the RECON Project (Reconstituting Democracy in Europe) provide a reconceptualization of the meaning and status of democracy in Europe today. The book also develops an analytical framework that makes democratic stock-taking possible over a range of institutional realms and policy fields. Rethinking Democracy and the European Union will be of interest to students and scholars of democracy, European Union politics and international relations.

Erik Oddvar Eriksen is Director and Professor at ARENA - Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo. John Erik Fossum is Professor at ARENA-Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo.