Methodologies and Research Design in the Social Sciences

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A Political Sociology of European Democracy
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A Political Sociology of European Democracy
Week 5 Lecture 1 Lecturer Paul Blokker
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Governo Locale
Introduction

• The Construction of a European Political Society
• Legitimacy
• Normative justifications
• Different views on
• Role and relevance of actors (governments,
  experts, civil society, citizens)
• Institutions and integration

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Introduction

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Introduction
Announcement Examination - The student will be
evaluated at the end of the course by means of a
written essay, to be handed in at the end
(deadline 30 May, to be handed in by e-mail, by
1700 pm) - The written essay will be of a
minimum of 3.000 words, and needs to contain a
bibliography with at least 10 academic resources.

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Governo Locale
Introduction

• Announcement Examination
• The essay needs to address a theme related to
  democracy in or of Europe.
• The essay needs to be set up in a clearly
  structured way, with a clear introduction with an
  outline of the paper, a convincing argument in
  the middle part, and succinct conclusions
  (including own opinion).

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Introduction

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Normative Approach

• Part II. Multiple European Democracies and
  Legitimation
• European democracy
• a normative approach

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Normative Approach

• Strategies of Legitimation
• Efficient regulation
• Value-based community
• Rights-based political union
• (Eriksen 2009 58)

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Governo Locale
Normative Approach

• Efficient regulation
• EU perceived as economic project (four freedoms)
• An emphasis on problem-solving special purpose
  organization of functional integration (Ipsen
  1972)
• The EU is legitimated by delivering the goods
  (output-oriented legitimacy)

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Normative Approach

• 2. Value-based community
• EU perceived as community based on a common
  European identity and shared heritage
• A significant part of the European project is the
  forging of this common identity that is to
  underpin a demos
• Democracy about hardware (institutions) and
  software (political culture)

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Normative Approach

• 3. Rights-based political union
• EU perceived as a constitutionally grounded
  polity with a common set of civil and political
  rights
• Citizens are to be empowered and to see
  themselves as the co-authors of the law that
  rules the polity
• Post-national democracy based on constitutional
  patriotism.

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Normative Approach

Source Eriksen 2009 59.
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Normative Approach

• Democratic theories
• Problem-solving
• minimal, liberal democracy
• main actors individual nation-states
• Value-based community
• communitarian democracy
• main actors European society
• 3. Rights-based polity
• republican democracy
• main actors plurality of social and political
  actors

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