The Illusion of Accountability in the European Union / Edition 1

by Sverker Gustavsson, Christer Karlsson, Thomas Persson

Overview

This book examines accountability in the EU from different perspectives and considers whether EU citizens have real opportunities for holding decision-makers accountable. This book critically analyses five arguments which claim there are sufficient means for holding decision-makers to account in the Union.

The main conclusion is that the current institutional set-up and practice of decision-making in the EU is one that merely creates an illusion of accountability.

Using a strict framework focusing on the difference between formal mechanisms and actual opportunities for accountability, this highly coherent volume will be of interest to students and scholars of European politics, especially those interested in the democratic foundations of the European political system.

Chapter 1 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license. https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/tandfbis/rt-files/docs/Open+Access+Chapters/9780415480994_oachapter1.pdf

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415480994
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/05/2009
Series:	Routledge Advances in European Politics
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Sverker Gustavsson is Jean Monnet Professor of European political integration at the Department of Government, Uppsala University, Sweden. His main research interests are European constitutional affairs, welfare state theory and research policy doctrines. Christer Karlsson is Associate Professor in the Department of Government, Uppsala University. His main research interests are democratic theory, European Union politics and international climate change negotiations. Thomas Persson is Researcher in the Department of Government, Uppsala University. His research interests include the involvement of civil society and interest groups in European Union politics, and the impact of European integration on national political systems.

Table of Contents

1. Examining the Illusion of Accountability 2. Accountability in World Politics 3. Accountability and Democracy 4. Putting Limits on Accountability Avoidance 5. Irretrievable Powers and Democratic Accountability 6. EU Treaty Reform and Accountability 7. Delegation to the Permanent Representation and Mechanisms of Accountability 8. European Intelligence Cooperation and Accountability 9. Executive Power and Accountability in the European Union 10. The European Central Bank – Independent and Accountable? 11. Civil Society Participation and Accountability 12. Improving Accountability in the European Union – The Potential Role of NGOs 13. Taking Accountability Seriously