Democracy and symbiosis in the European Union: Towards a confederal consociation?

Chryssochoou, Dimitris N.

doi:10.1080/01402389408425040

Cited by 113 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Each segment is represented by a small elite which takes decisions by consensus with other leaders on a basis of equality, in order to protect minority segments from the dictatorship of the majority. All of these elements are to be found in European governance (Chryssochoou 1994). In the 'confederal consociation' of the EU, however, the elite are not political parties but member states.…”

Section: Nationalist Ideology Meets Integration Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Another nation-building bloc? Integrating nationalist ideology into the EU and ASEAN

Sutherland¹

2005

AEJ

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The article examines the compatibility of nationalist ideology and regional integration within the European Union (EU) and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN). In exploring nationalist ideology as a third alternative to functional and identity-based approaches to regional integration, it contributes to debates on the necessity and desirability of a common supranational identity. Despite a hitherto largely transaction-based approach to integration, political elites in South-East Asia have expressed support for 'ASEAN awareness' or 'cognitive regionalism' in the hope of increasing the organisation's social cohesion and solidarity. These constructs seek to supplement political and economic co-operation with a sense of imagined (regional) community, despite the lack of strong supranational institutions within ASEAN. Their aim is thus to replicate a quasi-national construct at the regional level, something which has met with relatively little resonance within EU member states. The similarities between government attempts to foster a sense of regional belonging and nation-building principles, let alone their interplay, have yet to be fully explored in the South-East Asian context. The article tackles the question of whether EU and ASEAN member states can learn from each other in developing approaches to regionalisation.

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Section: Nationalist Ideology Meets Integration Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Another nation-building bloc? Integrating nationalist ideology into the EU and ASEAN

Sutherland¹

2005

AEJ

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“…Secondly, a consociational system is likely to keep reproducing the divisions between fragments that it was designed to overcome, partly because it is in the interest of the elites to maintain the segments (Weiler et al, 1995, p. 31), thus hindering the future development of a demos (Chryssochoou, 2001, p. 262). Finally, consociational polities are ‘governed by political elites whereby the individual citizen‐voter loses the status of being the major determinant of politics’ (Chryssochoou, 1994, p. 10). Thus, this system relies heavily on the discretion of the segmental elites (in this case national executives) to act in accordance with the wishes and interests of their segments (the Member States).…”

Section: What Is ‘A Demos’?mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Demos for the European Union?

Jolly

2005

Politics

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The European Union's alleged shortage of democratic legitimacy is said to be caused partly by the polity's lack of a demos which makes it unsuitable for majoritarian decision‐making. However, this problem is often overshadowed by – sometimes even confused with – the lack of public enthusiasm as regards European integration. But, although clearly related, these are not synonymous. The no‐demos thesis focuses on the lack of a transnational political relationship between individuals and is related mainly to the legitimacy of the EU's decision‐making processes, whereas the issue of popular support primarily relates to the legitimacy of European integration itself. In this article, I address the former by attempting to answer the following questions. Firstly, what do we mean when we say that the EU has no demos? Secondly, does the EU really need a demos, and if so, how can one be created?

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“…And, finally, there is the European Union. It has already been described as a novel form of "confederal federalism" (Kincaid, 1999b) or "confederal consociation" (Chryssochoou, 1994). Such characterization s are called for because the EU has established impressive levels of supranational law and regulation while remaining committed to ongoing treaty negotiations and a general search for consensus.…”

Section: Speculative Endings: Constitutional Versus Treaty Federalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Federalism at the Crossroads: Old Meanings, New Significance

Hueglin

2003

Can J Pol Sci

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Federalism has remained a contested concept. The constitutional certainties of the modern federal state are under attack from confederal practices of negotiated agreement. Such practices have their traditional roots in the political theories of Althusius and Montesquieu. The central argument of this article is that the American Federalists broke with that older tradition and deliberately misinterpreted Montesquieu along the way. Consequently, the predominant reading of federalism emphasizes federal supremacy over the idea of a social compact among equal partners, territorial representation dominates over the recognition of social community, and the allocation of divided powers is guided by national prerogatives rather than regionally differentiated policy needs. Recent trends towards a more collaborative form of federalism indicate that the old model of constitutional federalism may be replaced by new practices of treaty federalism.

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Democracy and symbiosis in the European Union: Towards a confederal consociation?

Cited by 113 publications

References 6 publications

Another nation-building bloc? Integrating nationalist ideology into the EU and ASEAN

Another nation-building bloc? Integrating nationalist ideology into the EU and ASEAN

A Demos for the European Union?

Federalism at the Crossroads: Old Meanings, New Significance

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