"The Europeanization of governance in larger European democracies"

Schmidt, Vivien A. (2003) "The Europeanization of governance in larger European democracies". In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 2003 (8th), March 27-29, 2003, pages 31, Nashville, TN.

Abstract

In what follows, I ... [explore] the nature of the EU governance system and its impact on national democracies. I begin by considering the EU-related changes in member-states' governance practices with regard to governmental power and authority, interest access and influence, and the politics of voting and voice. Such changes, I show, have been greater for some countries than others, largely due to questions of institutional "fit" with the EU, and therefore pose a greater challenge to traditional ideas about democracy. Because the EU is a "compound" potty, in which power, influence, and voice are diffused through multiple levels and modes of governance, countries with already "compound" polities such as Germany and Italy have experienced less significant change in governmental practices and, thereby, less challenge to traditional ideas about democracy than those with more "simple" polities such as France and Britain, where power, influence, and voice are more concentrated in a single level and mode of governance. "Fit" in terms of policies is another matter entirely, however, and here the changes and challenges may be every bit as great in "compound" polities as in more "simple" ones.