Democracy and Federalism in the European Union and the United States : Exploring Post-National Governance

The European Union - a supranational system with its own institutional characteristics and autonomy - has a structure and functional logic which are more similar to those of the US than those of European nation states. Yet, by and large, the EU and the US tend to be analyzed more as potential geopolitical and economic rivals or allies than compared as institutional peers. By bringing together some of the most influential political scientists and historians to compare the European and American experiences of federalism, Democracy and Federalism in the European Union and the United States explores the future development, and seeks a better understanding, of a post-national European Union democracy. This book consists of three core parts: how the EU has developed and the implications of the process of European federalization the features of American federalism, tracing the intellectual debate that led to the approval of the American federal constitution in 1787 the future of European Union. This is essential reading for all students of European politics, democracy and international relations.

The European Union - a supranational system with its own institutional characteristics and autonomy - has a structure and functional logic which are more similar to those of the US than those of European nation states. Yet, by and large, the EU and the US tend to be analyzed more as potential geopolitical and economic rivals or allies than compared as institutional peers.

By bringing together some of the most influential political scientists and historians to compare the European and American experiences of federalism, this book explores the future development, and seeks a better understanding, of a post-national European Union democracy. The book consists of three parts.

* How the EU has developed and the implications of the process of European federalization
* The features of American federalism, tracing the intellectual debate that led to the approval of the American federal constitution in 1787
* The future of European Union.

Robert A. Dahl concludes the volume, exploring the difficulties of democracy on an international scale. He looks at the prospects for deliberately created democratic institutions and the problems of size, legitimacy and identity.

This unique volume will be of interest to students and scholars studying European politics, American politics, federalism and comparative politics.

Foreign Affairs

This comparison between the institutions of the European Union and those of the United States, undertaken by a group of American and European political scientists, is stimulating and informative — perhaps because each chapter is short and organized around a small number of concepts and arguments. There are no great surprises. The authors show how different the American process of democratization and federalization has been from the European one, and how different the relations between state, market, and citizenry on the two sides of the Atlantic remain. In western Europe, Fabbrini writes, the state has defined society as such; in the United States, it has done no more than regulate the dynamics of its growth. The authors are also quite realistic about the challenges the complex system of European governance faces. Although the EU is not just an intergovernmental confederation, as some theorists have claimed, it is a much poorer and weaker federal system than that found in the United States.

Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 10 INTRODUCTION Why compare the EU and the US......Page 12 1 Is the EU exceptional The EU and the US in comparative perspective......Page 14 2 European federalism past resilience present problems......Page 38 3 The constitutionalization of the EU steps towards a supranational polity......Page 55 4 The emergence of the EU supranational polity and its implications for democracy......Page 68 5 Nation and federalism in the American historical experience a model for Europe......Page 90 6 Territory, electorates and markets in the US: the construction of democratic federalism and its implications for the EU......Page 104 7 Citizens in American federalism locating accountability in a dispersed system......Page 115 8 Building a market without a state the EU in an American perspective......Page 130 9 European polity building searching for legitimacy between economic and social Europe......Page 144 10 Is social capitalism exportable Considerations from the EU enlargement......Page 159 11 Post national democracy as post national democratization......Page 178 12 The EU and the challenge of a post national constitution......Page 194 13 Is international democracy possible A critical view......Page 205 Index......Page 216 Is the Eu exceptional? The EU and the US in comparative perspective /Sergio Fabbrini --European federalism: past resilience, present problems /Mark Gilbert --Theconstitutionalization of the EU: steps toward a supranational polity /Alec Stone Sweet --Theemergence of the EU supranational polity and its implications for democracy /James A. Caporaso --Nation and federalism in the American historical experience: a model for Europe? /Edoardo Tortarolo --Territory, electorates and markets in the US: the construction of democratic federalism and its implications for the EU /Alberta M. Sbragia --citizens in American federalism: locating accountability in a dispersed system /Bruce E. Cain --Building a market without a state: the EU in an American perspective /Sergio Fabbrini --European polity-building: searching for legitimacy between economic and social Europe /Vincent Della Sala --Is social capitalism exportable? Considerations from the EU enlargement /Donald Sassoon --Post-national democracy as post-national democratization /Alberta M. Sbragia --TheEU and the challenge of a post-national constitution /Yves Mény --Is international democracy possible? A critical view /Robert A. Dahl Education, Politics & IR, Sociology & Social Policy Book Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Preface 10 INTRODUCTION Why compare the EU and the US 12 1 Is the EU exceptional The EU and the US in comparative perspective 14 2 European federalism past resilience present problems 38 3 The constitutionalization of the EU steps towards a supranational polity 55 4 The emergence of the EU supranational polity and its implications for democracy 68 5 Nation and federalism in the American historical experience a model for Europe 90 6 Territory, electorates and markets in the US: the construction of democratic federalism and its implications for the EU 104 7 Citizens in American federalism locating accountability in a dispersed system 115 8 Building a market without a state the EU in an American perspective 130 9 European polity building searching for legitimacy between economic and social Europe 144 10 Is social capitalism exportable Considerations from the EU enlargement 159 11 Post national democracy as post national democratization 178 12 The EU and the challenge of a post national constitution 194 13 Is international democracy possible A critical view 205 Index 216 "The European Union - a supranational system with its own institutional characteristics and autonomy - has a structure and functional logic that are more similar to those of the United States than to those of European nation-states. Yet, by and large, the European Union and the United States tend to be analysed more as potential geopolitical and economic rivals or allies than compared as institutional peers."