Governing in Europe: Effective and Democratic?

The problem-solving capacity, and hence the democratic legitimacy, of national governments is being weakened by the dual processes of legal and economic integration in Europe; and the loss is not fully compensated by the development of effective and legitimate problem-solving capabilities at
the European level. Professor Scharpf supports his position by examining the normative underpinnings of democratic legitimacy and by a detailed analysis of the structural asymmetry between the effectiveness of the legal instruments of negative integration' which prevents governments from
interfering with the free movements of goods, services, capital, and persons and the political constraints impeding positive political action at the European level. This is particularly true for policies pertaining to the welfare state.

Governing in Europe explores strategies at the national level that could succeed in maintaining welfare state goals even under conditions of international economic competition, and it also discusses the conditions under which European policy could play a protective and enabling role with regard to
these national solutions. The author suggests that if these opportunities should be used, multi-level governance in Europe could indeed regain both effectiveness and legitimacy.


Author: Fritz W. Scharpf
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 05/20/1999
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.03lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.69d
ISBN: 9780198295457

About the Author

Fritz W. Scharpf, Director, Max-Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne

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