Europe as the Would-be World Power: The EU at Fifty

✍ Scribed by Giandomenico Majone

• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 267
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

For fifty years European integration has been pursued according to an operational code based on rules which have never been publicly discussed. This book demonstrates the far-reaching consequences of the prioritisation of integration over competing values, fait accompli and other implicit rules of action. The willingness to sacrifice democracy on the altar of integration is demonstrated by the monopoly of legislative initiative granted to the non-elected Commission. Monetary union preceding, rather than following, political integration is a striking example of fait accompli, and the reason behind many holes in the EU system of economic governance. Until now, academics have avoided radical criticism; Giandomenico Majone argues that only an open acknowledgement of the obsolescence of the traditional methods can stem the rising tide of Euro-scepticism.

✦ Table of Contents

Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Acknowledgements......Page 8
Introduction......Page 9
European Integration and its Discontents......Page 12
The Irish Referendum and its Aftermath......Page 14
The Referendum Roulette......Page 16
Legitimacy and Efficiency......Page 18
Back to First Principles......Page 20
Between Soft Power and World Power......Page 21
E Pluribus Unum?......Page 24
The Failed Europeanization of the Masses......Page 30
Making Europe without Europeans......Page 33
Integration versus Democracy......Page 38
From Permissive Consensus to the Revolt of the Masses......Page 43
The Desertion of the Elites......Page 47
Legitimacy, Efficiency, and Systemic Stability......Page 50
'Federate or Perish'......Page 54
The Vision of the Founding Fathers......Page 57
The Window of Opportunity Closes......Page 59
Manifest Destiny?......Page 61
Neo-Federalism......Page 68
Federalist Teleology......Page 70
A 'Federalist Deficit'?......Page 75
Federalist Revisionism......Page 80
The Monnet Method......Page 82
Goal Displacement......Page 84
Perils of Eurocentricity......Page 87
Cryptofederalist Myths (1): ‘Economic Prosperity’......Page 89
Cryptofederalist Myths (2): ‘Stability, Peace, and a Stronger Voice in the World’......Page 95
A Neo-Liberal EU?......Page 98
Purposive Action and Unintended Consequences......Page 108
The Invisible Hand of Neofunctionalism......Page 111
Unintended Consequences of Monetary Union......Page 115
Synergistic Effects: Enlargement, EMU, and the Single Market Programme......Page 120
The Theory and Practice of Mutual Recognition......Page 125
Mutual Recognition after Enlargement......Page 128
Cryptofederalist Hubris......Page 132
Misleading Analogies and Conceptual Ambiguities......Page 136
Social Dumping, Race to the Bottom, and Social Harmonization......Page 142
Negative and Positive Integration......Page 146
Legitimacy through Welfare?......Page 151
A Social Europe of Bits and Pieces?......Page 154
The Question of Standards......Page 159
The Analogical Fallacy......Page 163
The Big Trade-Off: Democracy and Integration......Page 166
Legitimation through Distinctive Institutional Competence......Page 173
Europa: Geht’s nicht eine Nummer kleiner?......Page 178
Democracy in the EU: A Merit Good?......Page 181
The Accountability Deficit......Page 183
Delegation of Powers......Page 187
The Rise and Decline of Harmonization......Page 191
Institutional Balance......Page 194
The Community Method: Still Viable?......Page 196
Intergovernmentalism......Page 201
The Limits of 'Soft Power'......Page 205
Beyond Straight-Line Evolution......Page 213
In Search of Flexibility......Page 215
The Selective Exit Option......Page 219
Differentiated Integration......Page 223
A Theory of Differentiated Integration......Page 225
Competition with Cooperation......Page 230
The Tenacity of a Flawed Paradigm......Page 232
A Post-Modern Empire?......Page 239
References......Page 243
Index......Page 255