It is widely believed that the European Union suffers from a democratic deficit. This then raises a fundamental question: can democracy ever be applied to decision-making bodies beyond the nation-state? How we conceive of democracy itself is essential to how we understand its deficit, and this book, with its impressive array of highly influential contributors, presents a theoretical approach which enables us to think of democracy at a supra-national level.
Bringing together the ideas of major thinkers such as Bellamy, Habermas, Joerges and Schlesinge, Democracy in the European Union presents pioneering and original work on a key issue in contemporary politics. With in-depth analysis from high-calibre writers, this book is a unique contribution to debates about democracy and the European Union, for all upper-level undergraduate and graduate students of politics, European studies, democratic studies, and international relations, as well as professionals and policy-makers.