Between Good Governance and Democratisation: Assessing the Euro-Mediterranean Condition. JMWP No. 38.01, October, 2001

Xenakis, Dimitris K. and Chryssochoou, Dimitris N. (2001) Between Good Governance and Democratisation: Assessing the Euro-Mediterranean Condition. JMWP No. 38.01, October, 2001.

Abstract

[From the Introduction]. Over the last decade, and particularly following the transformation in world politics since 1989, ‘good governance’ became a term in inflationary use both by comparativist and international relations scholarship. Although its longevity may be questioned by those adhering to the rather more conventional analytical foci of economic liberalisation and democratisation, its pertinence has been consistently hailed by those subscribing to the promotion of flexible but value-driven patterns of (collective) rule-making. This paper aims at throwing light on the nature and aspirations of the European Union’s (EU) involvement with the promotion of political change in the Mediterranean, through the newly-instituted Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP), known also as the Barcelona Process. Clarifying some conceptual and definitional problems confronting the ‘good governance’ approach to Euro-Mediterranean politics and society will be central to the development of a more profound understanding of the emerging regional formation.