Vivien A. Schmidt

This volume examines the interrelationship between democratic legitimacy at the European level and the ongoing Eurozone crisis that began in 2010. Europe's crisis of legitimacy stems from 'governing by rules and ruling by numbers' in the sovereign debt crisis, which played havoc with the eurozone economy while fueling political discontent. Using the lens of democratic theory, the book assesses the legitimacy of EU governing activities first in terms of their procedural quality ('throughput),' by charting EU actors' different pathways to legitimacy, and then evaluates their policy effectiveness ('output') and political responsiveness ('input'). In addition to an engaging and distinctive analysis of Eurozone crisis governance and its impact on democratic legitimacy, the book offers a number of theoretical insights into the broader question of the functioning of the EU and supranational governance more generally. It concludes with proposals for how to remedy the EU's problems of legitimacy, reinvigorate its national democracies, and rethink its future.

Governing by Rules and Ruling by Numbers in the Eurozone

Europe's Crisis of Legitimacy

Mark Thatcher

Why have neo-liberal economic ideas been so resilient since the 1980s, despite major intellectual challenges, crippling financial and political crises, and failure to deliver on their promises? Why do they repeatedly return, not only to survive but to thrive? This groundbreaking book proposes five lines of analysis to explain the dynamics of both continuity and change in neo-liberal ideas: the flexibility of neo-liberalism's core principles; the gaps between neo-liberal rhetoric and reality; the strength of neo-liberal discourse in debates; the power of interests in the strategic use of ideas; and the force of institutions in the embedding of neo-liberal ideas. The book's highly distinguished group of authors shows how these possible explanations apply across the most important domains - fiscal policy, the role of the state, welfare and labour markets, regulation of competition and financial markets, management of the Euro, and corporate governance - in the European Union and across European countries.

Resilient Liberalism in Europe's Political Economy

The Mitterrand years saw the transformation of business and its relationship to government. From State to Market, first published in 1996, details the governmental policies toward business that went from nationalization to privatization, deregulation, and ever-increasing European integration, bringing with them the move from a dirigiste, or state-directed, economy to a more market-oriented one. Professor Schmidt profiles the players, the interpenetrating elite of top business and government officials who share common state educational history and career track and who, as the beneficiaries of the all-pervasive culture of the state, have managed not only to maintain their hold in the ministries but also to colonize industry. This book, which spans the fields of public policy and political economy, contains both empirical information - the results of over forty interviews with top business and government officials - and a theoretical framework that sets French state-society relations in comparative perspective.

The Transformation of French Business and Government

From State to Market?

Amandine Crespy

Ramona Coman

An original new textbook providing an up-to-date, critical perspective of how the EU works, and what issues it faces, in the post-crisis era.

Governance and Politics in the Post-Crisis European Union

This eagerly awaited volume, from a leading scholar on Europeanization, explores the impact of European integration on national democracies. Focusing on the case studies of France, Britain, Italy, and Germany, this is an exciting contribution to work on the implications of European integration for democratic government.

Vivien A. Schmidt

About

Books

Join the club